The Great Pretenders
by Penelope36
Summary: Nick has a huge crush on Penny, so he dates Macy…um… it made sense to him at that time. What happens when the lines get blurred? Will their pretend romance turn into a real one? NACY.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 The Blunder**

Nick was great at everything—well, almost everything. He could write about any experience in his life and make it into a hit song. He could cook the most delicious cookies in the world without having to follow a recipe. He could pitch baseballs at a speed of 100 miles per hour. Yes, he seemed to be a jack of all trades—musician, chef, and sportsman. That is Nick Lucas for you. However, with every great person there always comes a weakness and for Nick Lucas that weakness came in the form of a particular girl—Penny Madison. She was his downfall because he just couldn't be himself around her. He became nervous, agitated, and always at a loss of words. Basically Nick Lucas was no match for Penny's shiny long blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and sweet angelic smile. She was his Juliet and he was her Romeo. She just didn't know that yet.

Love was in the air at Horace Mantis Academy. The hallways were adorned with red hearts and red streamers. Flowers were delivered to the girls and secret admirer notes were sent to the boys. The three Lucas boys, Stella, and Macy were sitting at their usual table during the morning of Valentine's Day.

"Look, at everyone. They might as well have hearts over their eyes," Joe said teasingly. "Personally, I don't care about Valentine's Day at all."

Everyone in the table glared at him especially Stella because Joe had with him about twenty boxes of chocolates and dozen bouquets of flowers- all from adoring admirers. In fact, all the Lucas boys had the hassle of carrying tons of gifts from adoring girls but Nick was the only nice one to share his chocolates with Stella and Macy. However, Stella and Macy also had their share of admirers. Stella received a box of chocolates and a rose from the jock, Van Dyke Tosh and Macy was given chocolates and a teddy bear from Randolph Brown.

"I personally love Valentine's Day," Stella said. "It's a day for girls and boys to express their love for one another and to be surprised by notes from secret admirers."

"Speaking of secret admirers," Kevin started to say. "Here comes the girl you secretly admire, Nick."

Everyone at the table turned to look at the direction in which Kevin pointed at. And there she was. It was as if she was walking down the hallway in slow motion with her hair swaying from side-to-side. Nick felt his heart speed up and his mouth become dry. He wasn't even speaking to her let alone near her but he was already feeling the effects of her presence within a ten-foot radius.

"I didn't know you had a crush on Penny!" Macy said excitedly. She happened to get out her phone to type this latest bit of gossip into her website. "The Jonas heads are going to love this."

Nick groaned in frustration. He wanted to kill Kevin for announcing his crush in front of everyone.

"I don't like her," Nick lied even though his reddened cheeks were a dead give-away of his true emotion. "Kevin is just being stupid again."

"Oh come on now," Joe said as he put his arm around his younger brother's shoulder. "We know you've been crushing hard on her for- what is it now- four months? You don't need to be shy about it."

Nick just narrowed his eyes at Joe. Sometimes he wished he could trade siblings with anyone for a day because right now his two older brothers didn't seem to get the message that he wanted to be left alone especially concerning this matter.

"Aw, Nick don't be embarrassed," Stella said encouragingly as she reached out and put her hand on his arm. "I think it's really sweet that you have a crush on Penny. She seems like a really nice girl and she's pretty cute, too. Right, Macy?"

"Uh-huh," Macy said as she tried aiming her camera phone in the direction of the cute blonde. "Just give me a sec. Jonas heads are asking for a photo of Nick's crush so—HEY!"

Nick quickly took Macy's camera away from her. He didn't want his crush to be exposed to the world wide web.

"Can we please just drop this? I don't have a crush on Penny," Nick said loudly. "She's just a girl in my class who I occasionally say hello to."

Everyone in the table looked at him skeptically. There was no fooling them.

"She's just a girl that you say '_hello'_ to?" Kevin repeated incredulously. "You guys, you should've seen him last night. He was busy writing a poem and even— OW!"

Kevin couldn't finish his latest bit of gossip about Nick because he was just kicked really hard from under the table.

The bell rang signaling that lunch break was over. He and Macy both had geometry class together with Penny Madison. Nick usually doesn't pay attention to class because he was too busy staring at Penny but now he couldn't even do that because he was too busy paying attention to Macy who still was trying to secretly take a photo of Penny to post on her website.

"Can you stop _that?_" Nick hissed at Macy during class.

"Just one picture, _pretty please?_" Macy said as she tried to bat her eyelashes at him but judging by the look on his face, her feminine charm was not working on him. "Fine. But don't get mad at me when you lose some die hard fans, who want to know everything about Nick Lucas."

That was a risk Nick was willing to take. He knew some fans of his were a _bit _crazy, in which Macy was borderline one of them, and he didn't want to risk putting Penny in danger of getting hurt from some rabid Jonas fan.

As the day grew to an end, Nick could feel the nerves kicking in. _It's almost time._ Even though he was giving his brothers a hard time before, Nick really did prepare something special to give to his crush. He spent the whole night writing up a poem that expressed how much he adored her and even bought her a rose. When students were leaving Horace Mantis Academy, Nick stayed behind. He knew that Penny had tennis practice after school so he spent the remaining minutes sitting in the atrium rehearsing what he was going to say to her when he gave her his presents.

_Come on Nick, _he thought himself. _You can do this._

He wanted to rehearse the whole speech he prepared one last time but it was too late because he saw Penny coming out of the locker-room and was heading down the hallway. He needed to move fast.

"Penny! Penny!" he called after her.

She spun around really fast; clearly she was surprised to see him when everyone had left.

'Hi, Nick! What's up?" she asked him sweetly.

"Well, I –uh-….you see," Nick tried to speak. But as his luck would have it, he began to have the Penny syndrome—inability to speak, sweaty palms, rapid heart beat, and reddened cheeks. "I wanted…um…to tell you…about by feelings—

But at that moment when he was about to confess his true feelings, they were interrupted by a boy Nick barely knew but have seen around in some of his class.

"Hey, Penny," the boy said. "You ready to go, babe?"

_Babe?_

"Just a minute, sweetie," Penny answered. She turned to Nick who seemed to now be confused so she introduced the boy to him. "Oh, Nick this is my boyfriend Jimmy. Jimmy this is Nick Lucas."

Nick realized that he was suppose to shake his hand but all that was running through his head was that _Penny had a boyfriend._ Suddenly he hid his presents for her behind his back. He couldn't give them to her now that her _boyfriend_ was standing right there. He would be completely embarrassed and he would have created an awkward situation especially for Penny.

"But Nick what was it that you wanted to say?" Penny asked him curiously.

_Crap. He needed to think of something fast. _Even though he was dubbed the cleverest of his brothers, he was out of ideas. But then he got it. Because at that moment when he knew he was making a complete fool out of himself he spied a particular brunette girl who was hiding behind the lockers with her camera ready for a shot of the blonde girl. So without really anything planned Nick called, "Macy! Come over here!"

Macy's eyes opened wide in shock. She wanted to be incognito as she tried to catch her coveted shot of Nick's crush. She pointed to herself and mouthed _Me? _–just to make sure she heard right.

Nick nodded his head impatiently. _He needed to save face fast. _He couldn't look like a fool in front of Penny and _Jimmy._ So Macy hesitantly walked over to him. She didn't know what to expect from him because she had no clue what Nick was up to. _Did he rat her out to Penny?_ She hardly knew the girl. It would make things really REALLY uncomfortable between them but boy, was she surprised when she reached Nick, he put his arm around her and said, "Well, um, Penny and Jimmy, this is Macy…and –uh- we've been going out for a while too."

"WE HAVE?" Macy asked him incredulously but Nick tightened his grip around her and gave her a look that clearly sent the message to _play along, please_.

"Oh yeah…we have," Macy said in a completely different tone as she put her arm around Nick's waist.

"And…we thought…that we should…uh…double date," Nick said quickly. He had no idea what he was saying. "Since you and Jimmy are together and me and Macy are together. We can all have dinner together…Right, _babe_?"

He said the last part while looking at Macy.

_Babe? _Once he said this, Macy tried to contain her excitement because an actual _Jonas called her babe! _And she didn't even have to force him to say it.

Nick was giving her another look and Macy quickly piped in, "Y-yeah. Like a double date. All four of us. It'll be great!"

"Hm…that doesn't sound like a bad idea," Penny agreed and she looked at Jimmy who also thought the same thing. "This Saturday then? At El Meat?"

"Great!" Nick and Macy said at the same time. When Penny and Jimmy waved good-bye, Macy and Nick were left by themselves as they both went over what just happened.

"I'm sorry about that. It was just so sudden and—MACY!" Nick started to apologize but then he saw that Macy was busy typing away on her phone with the crazy fan-girl glint in her eye.

"What?" she said as she jumped back from what she was doing.

"Don't tell me you're doing what I think you're doing?" Nick asked in an annoyed voice.

"If you're thinking that I'm typing what just happened on my Jonas site, then you're clearly wrong," Macy lied and faked how hurt she was by his accusation. "I'm just updating the…uh…weather for the site. Hehehe…"

Nick gave her a look that clearly said he wasn't buying any of it so Macy reluctantly put her phone back in her pocket.

"Look, I'm sorry for putting you in this situation," Nick continued what he was saying earlier. "It's just that Penny had a boyfriend and so I couldn't give her what I wanted to give her for Valentine's Day and then I saw you…"

"Don't worry, Nick," Macy assured him. "I understand. And I'm actually really happy that you included me in your plan to win Penny's heart because as you know I've been in this situation before."

"You have?"

"Yeah, remember the whole Joe-Van Dyke- Stella love triangle last year?" Macy pointed out. "And look at Joe and Stella now. They're completely in love. They don't call me Macy Misa Magic-Matchmaker, for nothing!"

"Macy, no one has ever called you that before," Nick replied disdainfully.

Macy pouted her lips and said tartly, "Well, they should because I make magic happen!"

Nick rolled his eyes and said, "Well, I don't want you to break them up on bad terms. I don't think I can live with myself if I knew that it was because of me that—

"Whoa, hold on there Nick," Macy said quickly. "I have no intention on causing any sort of drama. I'll just play it off how great of a boyfriend you are and let her see what she's missing. If anything, it will be all her doing and all the drama that will take place will be staged between us. I can see it now...our epic break up scene where in the end Penny comes to comfort you and viola! Magic."

Nick just stared at her with a dubious look because right now, Macy was getting really involved in this. In fact, she seemed to have the whole thing planned out.

"So what you're saying is that you and I need to act like the perfect-in-love couple in front of them so that Penny can see how perfect we are for each other?" Nick repeated.

Macy nodded her head excitedly and said, "Exactly. She'll get super jealous of the fact that Jimmy cannot even compete with the likes of you."

"I don't know, Mace," Nick said doubtfully. "I still feel like this is a bit scheming on our part."

"Nick, don't worry we got this," Macy said. "I know what I'm doing. You want to be with Penny don't you?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then I don't see what the problem is?" Macy said. "This is a fool-proof plan. Nothing can get in the way. Haha…Except if in the end we fall in love with each other instead."

"You and me? HA! That's so funny!" Nick chimed in. The two of them laughed at that absurd notion before shaking hands and agreeing to go through with this plan.

_It really was hilarious to them because they possibly could not fathom the idea of ever having romantic feelings towards one another…at least not in this lifetime, or could they?_

_

* * *

_

**Closing Remarks:**

Hey readers! I decided to start a new story. I usually am good with updating my stories but that was during the summer. Since I am in school, it's probably going to take me weeks or even months to finish this. I have the basic outline of where I want to go with this story and I think it's kind of obvious where this story is going to go. But the journey of this NACY romance will gradually develop. I think this story will have drama but not as much drama as my past stories. If anything, this story will be rated and similar to my other story 'A Complete 180'.

And all of you who have enjoyed my other story 'Remember Me' I actually have written the first chapter of the sequel to that story. I think I will entitle it 'Trust Me'. It's going to be interesting where the NACY romance story-line will go from there. I'll probably upload the first chapter to that later on today or tomorrow, depending on how many reviews I get. LOL just kidding. Well enjoy!

-Penelope36


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 Survey**

Stella, Joe, and Kevin made their way through the main hallway of Horace Mantis Academy thinking that it was a normal day. They just took a World History quiz so the three of them were relieved to have their favorite period of the day—_lunch time_. Even though the two boys were exhausted from having to memorize important dates for World War II, they patiently listened to the fashion-designer-in-the-making as she gave them pointers on what to wear during their next performance. They were conversing with one another until they reached their usual table. Nick and Macy were already there and everyone exchanged their usual hellos.

"What are you guys talking about?" Macy asked her best friend as the blonde girl filled the seat next to hers.

"Oh, you know, the usual," Stella sighed. "I have this vision for what the boys should wear but I'm hesitant because I know putting them in something white can only lead to disaster. And yes, I'm talking about you Joe."

Joe protested this accusation and just like that, he and Stella had one of their usual fights during the day. Macy just smiled at them and she was about to ask Kevin how was his day but she was interrupted.

"Macy! Nick!" called a familiar voice.

The both of them exchanged a nervous glance and turned towards the voice that called out their names.

"H-hey, Penny," Nick greeted her anxiously as he nervously glanced at his brothers and Stella. He and Macy haven't told anyone about their plan to pretend-date.

"So I was talking to Jimmy," Penny started to say. "And it turns out that he has a track meet on Saturday so can we reschedule our double date to Friday night instead?"

Unfortunately for Nick and Macy, the minute Penny said _double date_ Joe and Stella immediately stopped arguing.

Macy laughed nervously at Nick who was also hesitant to answer but because Macy promised Nick that she would do her best to let him win Penny's heart, she took her role seriously and smiled warmly at Penny and said, "Well, I don't find that a problem. You're free on Friday, aren't you, sweetie?"

She said the last part while looking at Nick.

"_Sweetie?"_ was what they heard Kevin whisper loudly utterly confused.

"Um…ahem," Nick cleared his throat as he ignored Kevin. He could feel five pair of eyes staring intently at him as he finally said. "Y-yeah that'll be fine."

"Great!" Penny said excitedly. "I'm really excited! Maybe we can catch a movie after dinner. That new scary movie just came out. You know the one with the serial killer stuck in a suburban town?"

"Yeah, I saw the trailer for that and it looks pretty interesting," Macy piped in. She assumed the role as spokesperson for she and Nick because he apparently chose to be silent. "We just love scary movies. Don't we, Nick?"

She said this as she grabbed his hand and gave it a tight squeeze because Nick was not acting very boyfriend-like. _He could blow their cover._

"Ow! I mean, yeah we love scary movies because it's so…uh…scary," Nick said and then blushed because he realized what he just said was completely redundant. _Great, he's making an even bigger fool out of himself in front of Penny._ He tried not to look at his brothers and Stella because he could feel their stares digging a hole into his body.

Penny laughed because she found Nick adorable when he got flustered but she said, "I _understand_ just what you mean, Nick. I also like _scary movies. _But come on, now. We all know that no one really pays attention to movies in the movie theaters. _You know what I mean?_"

She winked at them because she clearly misunderstood Nick's hesitation for _something else._

Nick and Macy exchanged a confused look with one another. _What did she mean they don't watch movies in the movie theaters?_

Macy was about to say something but then she realized what she meant and turned a deep shade of red. Nick was slow to follow but when he saw Macy he understood what Penny was implying and he also turned red once again because _there was no way he was going to make out with Macy in a movie theater…_

"No need to be embarrassed!" Penny said as she laughed because it was cute that Macy and Nick both turned a matching shade of red. "Don't worry about me and Jimmy since we'll be busy just like you! We won't cramp up your style. Hahahaha_."_

If it was possible both Nick and Macy turned an even deeper shade of red. Penny was still amused at their reactions. _They were so modest and cute._

"But anyway, I got to go," she said as she waved good-bye. "Looking forward to Friday!"

"Y-yeah, us too!" Macy called after her. She looked at Nick who was busy looking at a spot on the floor. He was determined not to look up at the other occupants sitting with them in their table.

"Guys, explain?" Stella said sternly yet in a perplexed voice.

Macy sighed. It seemed that she was going to have to clear everything up alone. She looked at the three of them and saw Stella with a puzzled look on her face. Joe was gaping at them with his mouth hanging open and Kevin looked simply dumbfounded.

"You see," Macy started to say. "Nick and I are dating…"

"WHAT?" all three of them exclaimed in unison.

"Relax! It's just pretend!" Nick finally interjected. "Macy! You should have said that first!"

Macy narrowed her eyes at him and said, "Well, looks like someone found his voice again! Anyway, Nick's right. We're not really together. We just decided that we are going to fake this perfect romance to make Penny jealous."

"I don't follow," Kevin said simply. All three of them still had their look of puzzlement settled on each of their faces as they continued to stare intently at Nick and Macy.

"You see, Macy came up with the idea of us faking our relationship to help me win Penny over," Nick said.

Macy nodded and added, "Yeah, I'm going to hype up Nick to Penny about how great of a guy Nick really is so that she can really start to consider him as boyfriend potential. She'll hopefully start to fall for him in the end. And Nick and I will stage this huge break up giving Penny the chance to make her move. It's as simple as that."

"Mace, you know how messed up that sounds?" Stella pointed out as she frowned at her best friend for not realizing this.

"Yeah, I agree with Stella," Joe said. "Besides, Penny has a boyfriend, doesn't she? You're just basically planning to break up a perfectly good relationship for another one."

"Like you're the one to talk!" Macy argued. "Didn't you do the same thing with me when Van Dyke took Stella out on a date?"

"That's different," Joe said in a lower voice.

"How so?" Macy questioned him as she crossed her arms waiting for his rebuttal.

"Yeah, Joe. How so?" Stella repeated what Macy said. It seemed like the blonde girl suddenly switched positions.

"First of all, Stella and Van Dyke were not boyfriend and girlfriend!" Joe pointed out. "That's why this is completely different. We didn't intentionally break up a _couple_ since they weren't one in the beginning."

"Well, we could have been together, Joe!" Stella said now taking an active part in this argument. "If it wasn't for you, I could have been with Van Dyke right now."

"Are you serious, Stella?" Joe asked her incredulously. "You're really considering _Van Dyke _as boyfriend material? If anything, I was doing you a favor!"

"A FAVOR?" Stella yelled back angrily.

"Hey you guys, you need to chill!" Kevin said as he tried to ease the tension between Joe and Stella.

Normally, Nick and Macy would intervene and help Kevin to calm them down but since the attention was drawn away from them, they took advantage of this and sneaked away from their lunch table.

"Well, they didn't seem to like our plan," Nick said as he followed Macy down the hallway.

"I wasn't really that surprised," Macy said. "But trust me, Nick. It might take awhile but in the end you'll be guaranteed a chance with Penny. I swear."

Nick sighed. He really was putting a lot of faith into Macy.

"Okaaay," Nick said. "I trust you. So what's next in this master plan of yours?"

"Well…" Macy said as she began rummaging through her bag. "For starters, we need to know everything we can about each other. Since we're supposedly been dating for awhile, I need to know some stuff about you and you need to know some stuff about me."

"Okay, that makes sense," Nick agreed.

"So…I've prepared this extensive survey that you need to fill out," Macy said as she found the group of papers she was looking for. "It has everything from your favorite color to what is your idea of your ideal date."

But Nick wasn't really paying attention to her because he was flipping through what seemed to be twenty pages of endless questions.

"Macy, how long is this thing!" Nick exclaimed. It was the size of a small booklet instead of a sheet of paper, he was expecting.

"It's twenty-three pages," Macy replied sheepishly. She really didn't think the length of her extensive survey would be a problem.

"TWENTY THREE PAGES!" Nick repeated loudly as he continued to flip through the pages to look at some of the questions being asked. "Macy, I can't possibly finish this all. Besides why do I need to answer this question that asks if I prefer to be on top or at the bottom? _You don't need to know that._ How far in this _fake _relationship do you think we are?"

He blushed when he realized what kind of question that was but he kept skimming through the survey and saw that the questions got either way too personal or way too outrageous.

"Okay, I admit some of the questions are kind of out there," Macy said. "But I just copied the questions your fans posted on my site and I forgot to filter the crazy ones. And really, Nick, it won't take you that long. It only took me two hours to finish."

"TWO HOURS!"

"Yeah, but it was really fun," Macy pointed out as she tried to give him an encouraging smile. "Besides, I gave one to Penny as well and she was more than glad to fill it out."

Nick looked at her skeptically.

"Really?" he said in a calmer tone.

"Yes, she filled one out too. I told her it was for an extra credit project I have for my history class—the changing profile of an American teenager in our world today," Macy said proudly. Macy was really happy that she was able to come up with a good and seemingly legit excuse for Penny to fill out her survey booklet.

Nick looked at the questions again but this time he tried to imagine what Penny wrote for each one of them.

"And…" Macy said as she rummaged through her bag once more until she found another similar packet. "I have her answers right here."

Nick thought she was going to give it to him so he tried to grab it but Macy quickly pulled it away and said, "Oh, no you don't. These are for my eyes only until you finish yours and then I'll let you see hers. Besides, don't you want to see how compatible you are with her without cheating?"

_She was right._

Nick let out a big sigh to show that he faced defeat.

"Fine, I'll do it," Nick said reluctantly.

"Great!" Macy exclaimed as she gave him a quick hug and then said teasingly. "You're definitely getting well-earned brownie points for being such a _good boyfriend_."

Nick rolled his eyes and shook his head because he didn't appreciated Macy teasing him. So during all of geometry class and history class, Nick filled out the long questionnaire Macy prepared for him. Of course, he left all the inappropriate ones blank. There was no way Macy needed to know what position he preferred or what other nonsense that was asked. Because a good majority of the questions he kept blank, Nick was able to finish just in time before school ended.

"MACY!" Nick called after her when he spotted the petite brunette walking out of the girls' locker room.

"Hey, Nick!" Macy greeted and when they saw Jimmy pass them by, Nick gave Macy an awkward hug to show that they were acting all couple-like.

"Here, I finished."

"Great," Macy said as she skimmed through his answers. "Okay, I'll give you mine and Penny's as well so that you can study them before Friday."

Nick quickly grabbed the other set as soon Macy took them out of her bag. He hurried home and quickly sat on his bed and poured over Penny's questionnaire first. Like him, she left a majority of the questionnaire blank. _That was something they both had in common. _He continued reading it and found himself enjoying all her responses. It turned out that he and she were more alike than he initially thought. They were perfect for each other.

"What do you have there, bro?" Joe said as he entered his room.

"N-nothing," Nick quickly said as he immediately put the papers underneath his pillow.

"Doesn't look like nothing to me," Joe retorted and he quickly made a dash towards his bed and grabbed the pieces of paper that Nick just moments ago stashed away.

"GIVE THOSE BACK JOSEPH!" Nick yelled at him but Joe was running away from him as he began reading out loud.

"Favorite color: baby blue. Favorite food: Pizza. Traits I look for most in a guy: Honesty, modesty, athleticism, and a killer smile…awww isn't that sweet," Joe said. "What is this, Nick?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Nick said waspishly. "Give it back!"

But Joe was flipping through it and noticed the name on top of the survey.

"Penny Madison?" Joe said at first confused but then he realized what this was for. "How'd you get her to fill this thing out?"

"Macy did it," Nick confessed. "It was all her doing."

Joe bit his lip and he finally gave back the survey to Nick and said seriously, "Nick, I really don't think you and Macy should do this."

"Why?" Nick asked confused. If anything, Joe was usually the brother inclined to do all the scheming.

"Because someone is going to end up getting hurt," Joe answered.

Nick didn't understand why Joe was so against their whole plan but Macy did bring up a good point during lunch.

"Way to be hypocritical, Joe," Nick argued. "You're telling me not to do this but Macy was right. Didn't you do the same thing with her?"

Joe sighed in frustration and said, "How many times do I have to point out that was totally different. Macy knew I was hung up over Stella. We have so much history together. You and Macy and Penny for that matter have no history at all. You're just toying with fire. Believe me."

"Whatever, bro," Nick replied. "I know what I'm doing. Macy is just being a good friend and helping me out."

Joe shook his head disapprovingly and said, "Fine, do what you want but don't say I didn't warn you."

Nick wanted to protest some more but his brother had already slid down his pole to go downstairs. He looked at the papers again and tried to think about what Joe said but he honestly didn't believe anyone would really get hurt…well maybe, Jimmy would... but Nick didn't want to dwell on that because he and Macy were already so far into this lie that they created. There was no turning back.

* * *

**Closing Remarks:**

_Is Joe right? Will someone really end up getting hurt in the end? If so, who would it be?_

This chapter didn't have any drama but it's more or less a build up for what is in store for Nick and Macy in the story. Even though this story will have some minor drama, I find it refreshing that I chose to write a story that was not as serious and dramatic as my other stories. I hope you guys enjoy it. As I mentioned before, it's probably going to take me awhile to finish this but I already know how I want to end this story. As I mentioned in my profile, I try to create a story with the ending already in mind so that the story can flow. In fact, I already wrote the epilogue to this and I think you guys will find it really cute. But you'll need to wait for it. Sorry for being such a tease :-P LOL

For most of my stories, besides a 'Complete 180', I tend to write the epilogue before I'm even finished with the story itself. It's like a bad habit of mine because then I need to think up of filler story-lines since I get so excited for the conclusion to happen. Haha. I just love writing about the future of the characters in my story. This story is probably going to be my top priority before I continue my other story 'Trust Me', which is a dramatic story. That one is a little tricky to write because I kind of have an idea where I want to go with the sequel to 'Remember Me' but I still need to tie in some loose ends. So while you wait for the next update, please, if you haven't done so, check my other stories out too and please review them as well! Some of the material may be inappropriate for a younger audience so read with caution and good judgement. Thanks.

READ AND REVIEW! THANKS! Things will pick up in the later chapters.

-Penelope36


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 Double Date**

It was Friday afternoon and Nick went to Macy's place before their double date with Penny and Jimmy to go over some stuff so that they could be on the same page.

"So, Nick did you go over everything?" Macy asked him while she finished getting ready for tonight. She wore a flower-print sundress with a white sweater. Her hair was pulled up in a bun and she gently applied some blush on her cheeks. Even if this was a pretend date, Macy wanted to look her best _especially since she would be seen with a JONAS out in public._

Meanwhile, Nick, who was dressed in jeans, a white shirt, a grayish purple cardigan and a hat, situated himself in her bed as he poured over Penny's survey one more time.

"Yeah and I still can't believe how perfect Penny and I are for each other," Nick said again. _They were so meant to be. _"We practically have the same response for almost all of the questions. Her favorite color is baby blue although a different shade from my favorite color: royal blue. We both love to watch the cooking channel during our spare time because we both secretly want to be chefs. Her favorite movie is _Remember the Titans_, which is a sports movie like _The Natural_. She loves to do charity work like me and she hopes to become a pediatrician when she grows up. She loves to sing and well, yeah I'm a singer. And her idea for a perfect date is exactly like mine: a romantic dinner outdoors and a nice quiet stroll in the park where we can talk and watch the stars."

"Wow, that's great, Nick," Macy said as she now applied some lip gloss while still looking in the mirror. "How about mine, did you read it?"

Nick let out a big sigh of disappointment.

"What was that for?" Macy asked him as she now turned around to face him.

"Macy," he said as kindly as possible. "You and I have absolutely nothing in common! No one is going to believe we're a couple if they read both of our questionnaires."

"That can't be true," Macy said as she joined him on her bed and looked at her survey and his. "There has to be something we both agree on. Look, here's one! We're both morning people."

"Really? That's it? We're morning people? Even on the basic questions, we're both total opposites. You like vanilla and I like chocolate. You're loud and I'm quiet. You love corny jokes and I hate them. You're favorite movie is Fiddler on the Roof, _a musical._ Out of all the movies you had to choose, you chose a _musical!"_

"What's wrong with musicals?" Macy argued. "Not only do you have great stories but good music as well. It's a win-win situation. You can't ask for more!"

"And it gets worse," Nick continued as he ignored her last comment. "You're idea of a perfect date is to do any kind of extreme sport known to man like white water rafting, rock climbing, and cliff diving! Macy, do you want your date to die before he can ask you out on a second one?"

"Hey, those things are fun!" Macy protested. "I did all of them before and they're not as dangerous as they seem."

Nick just shook his head in disbelief. Macy had to be half-serious in all her response because he saved the worst for last.

"And it still gets even worse!" Nick said in disgust.

"It does?" Macy said as she felt her heart sink. She never knew Nick could be so critical about her responses. _They had to be a little bit compatible…right?_

"Macy, you listed the _Red Sox_ as your favorite baseball team!" Nick cried out in disgust. "I can't date a _Red Sox _fan. Are you kidding me? I'm a die-hard Yankees fan all the way. Besides, why do you like them anyway? You're from New Jersey, not Boston."

"Although I grew up here, I was born in Boston and lived there for a few years," Macy explained. "My dad was a big Red Sox fan. So my allegiance to them can be seen as my only link to my dad. Besides, the Yankees are _so overrated!"_

"OVERRATED!" Nick yelled. _He couldn't believe what she was saying. _"Macy, you got to be kidding me!"

"Whatever, Nick," Macy retorted. "It's not like all of your responses make sense!"

"Like which one doesn't make sense?" Nick said as he tried his best to stay calm because he didn't like it when someone accused him of not being sensible. _He was the most sensible guy in the planet._

"For your favorite sandwich you said you like to put Nutella in it. What in the world is a Nutella? Did you make that up?" Macy asked him incredulously because she really thought Nick created that word.

"Nutella is a chocolate Hazelnut spread, Mace!" Nick said. "If you had good taste in food, you'd know that! At least my favorite sandwich doesn't include anchovies in it. Yuck!"

"Hey, anchovies are delicious!" Macy argued.

The two of them could have argued the whole night if it wasn't for Macy's alarm which she set to remind them when it was time to leave for El Meat. So they put their differences aside and got ready to leave.

"Remember, we need to have our story straight," Macy said as they made their way to the restaurant.

"Okay, I got it," Nick said. "We've been dating for about two months and we got together during Christmas."

"Good," Macy said. "And remember you fell in love with me because you found my devotion to the Jonas band completely adorable and touching. If you want, you can even add that you thought I was really, really pretty."

Macy knew this was wishful thinking as she batted her eyelashes at him. Nick narrowed his eyes at her and said, "I'll just stick with the first part. Thank you."

The restaurant was packed for a Friday night. Macy and Nick immediately spotted Penny and Jimmy in one of the booths.

"Hey you guys!" Penny greeted them happily.

"Hi," both Nick and Macy said at the same time as Macy scooted in first on their side of the booth.

"This is really exciting," Penny said. "I can't believe how much entrees of meat they have here."

"Yeah, I know," Macy said as she looked over the menu. "Do you know what you're getting, honey?"

Nick gave Macy his best fake smile and said, "No, not yet…er… sweetie."

So the four of them studied the three different kinds of menu, one for chicken, beef, and pork, each of which contained a comprehensive list of dishes, some of which they have never heard before.

"Hey you want to hear a funny joke?" Jimmy said to break the silence while they were still looking at their menus. "It's a meaty one so it's very fitting."

"Forgive me, you guys, he loves telling corny jokes," Penny whispered to them but she smiled sweetly at him. "Go ahead, babe."

"Which is the meat patties least favorite day of the week? Any guesses?" Jimmy asked them but all he received were blank stares. "Anyone?"

"Jimmy, just tell us!" Penny said as she did her best to mask any form of impatience in her voice.

"Fry-day!" Jimmy joked as he laughed at his own joke. "Get it Fry-day as in Friday like today."

Nick gave him a pitiful look. _What did Penny see in him?_

Penny said, "Oh, sweetie, maybe you should lay off on your jokes—

But she was interrupted because someone clearly found his joke to be quite funny. Everyone stared at Macy as she began laughing loudly.

"I get it! Fry-day as in Friday! HAHAHAHA," Macy said clearly amused by Jimmy's joke.

Nick stared at her in horror. He kicked her under the table to make her stop laughing but Macy truly was a sucker for a corny joke.

"See, Penny, I told you some people appreciate my humor," Jimmy said as he smiled at Macy.

Nick cleared his throat loudly and stared at Macy, who when she looked at him did her best to control her laughter. _She never knew Jimmy could be funny._

"Anyway, I really don't know what to get," Penny said. "Why don't we share something, Jimmy-pooh?"

_Jimmy-pooh?_ Nick and Macy looked at each other and almost gagged. Macy smirked at Nick and said, "Yeah, would you also like to share something…er…_Nicky-boo_?"

Macy had to stifle her laughter. She hated when couples used cutesy names like this but since she and Nick were pretending to be in love, _why not go over the top?_

Nick gave her a smirk and replied, "Sure thing…um…_Macy-bear_."

Macy tried her best to once again contain her laughter and thankfully the waiter came, when they were all ready to order.

"So…" Penny said excitedly while staring at both Nick and Macy.

"So…?" Nick repeated.

"How did you guys get together?" Penny asked then like it was the most obvious question in the world.

"Yeah, we were talking about you guys yesterday," Jimmy added. "And both of us said we would never ever imagine pairing you guys up together. We thought you were complete opposites."

"Oh we're not that different," Macy said in her chirpy voice. She grabbed Nick's hand to emphasize how_ together and couple-y _they really were. "But it was last Christmas, when we fell for each other, right Nicky-boo?"

"Y-yeah, Macy-bear," Nick replied as he tried his best to keep himself from gagging from calling her that. "I found her _obsessive _devotion to our band completely adorable."

"Obsessive?" Macy said as she narrowed her eyes at him but she continued in her fake sweet voice. "I don't know if obsessive is the right word, _honey._"

"Oh, you were pretty obsessive, Mace," Nick pointed out. He was no longer using his fake-in-love voice now. "You were the Jonas #1 Super Fan after all."

Macy smiled sweetly at him and retaliated by saying, "But I wasn't the first one to make a move. I remember you said you thought I was _really, really pretty_. Right, Nick?"

Nick pursed his lips and answered, "Yeah, but you were the one who gave me such obvious hints that you were interested."

"How so, _dear_?" Macy asked him curiously. She was squeezing his hand harder now.

Both of them didn't realize that both Penny and Jimmy were now looking at them with raised eye-brows.

"The way you would always follow me around and bat your eyelashes at me," Nick retorted. "It was pretty obvious, Mace. It would take a fool to not pick up on your hints."

"Oh-hohohohohoho," Macy gave her best hearty laugh and said, "I followed you around? Well, if you really want to hear about our first date, then you're in for quite a story. I took Nick out white water rafting. And he thought he was going to die! He was shaking throughout the whole ride. Talk about being a man! Hahaha."

"Well, Macy," Nick said as he gritted his teeth. "I thought we would go somewhere classy for our first date. You know normal stuff? Like a fancy dinner and a nice stroll in the park?"

"So are you saying I'm abnormal?" asked Macy as she glared at Nick.

"You're the one who said it," Nick simply replied.

"Okaaay, you guys," Penny said as she tried to break up the tension between them. "That was …uh…quite a story."

"Yeah, that was something," Jimmy said.

Nick and Macy almost forgot they had an audience so they resumed back to fake-couple mode and smiled sweetly at each other.

"But despite all that, we love each other, don't we Nick?" Macy said as she gazed adoringly into his eyes.

"Yeah, I love Macy," Nick said cheerfully as he put his arm around her.

Macy realized that she totally forgot the goal of her plan so she needed to hype Nick up. She tried to remember what Nick said he had in common with Penny.

"Nick really is a great boyfriend," Macy said as she latched her arm with his. "Believe it or not, but he's a really great cook. Tell them honey."

"Yeah, I really love cooking," Nick added sheepishly. "It's always been a secret dream of mine to become a chef."

"Oh my gosh! I secretly want to be a chef too!" Penny exclaimed. "That's so weird that we both want to be that!"

"And he loves charity work," Macy added. "What's that organization you're a spokesperson for?"

"I'm not exactly the spokesperson," Nick said modestly. "I just help out with the Bayer Diabetes Care Foundation. Since I have diabetes, I have a personal connection with them. It's just something I love to get involved in."

"Wow, I never knew you were involved in charity work," Penny said amazed. "Hey, before I forget, why don't I invite you guys to this fundraiser event next Saturday. The hospital I volunteer in is hosting our annual bike-a-thon for the Children's Leukemia Foundation. You guys should definitely come out and ride with us."

"Sure, we'd love—

"Oh, I'm not sure if I'm free Saturday," Macy quickly interrupted Nick, who was now staring at her curiously.

"What are you doing?" Nick asked her quietly. "This will be a great opportunity for us."

"Yeah, I know but…" Macy said hesitantly.

Luckily for her their conversation was interrupted when Jimmy took it upon himself to lay another joke on them: "Hey want to hear another joke? It's a bike joke so it's fitting."

"Jimmy, really?" Penny asked him lightheartedly. "I think we heard enough jokes for tonight."

"No, I want to hear it," Macy said encouragingly.

"Okay," Jimmy said excitedly that someone was eager to hear his joke. "Why does a bike stand on one leg?"

"Why?" Macy asked.

"Because it's two-tired! Get it?" Jimmy finished.

Penny and Nick exchanged bored looks with each other but of course, none of them were surprised that Macy got his joke because she was laughing hard again and said, "Two-tired! Hahahahahaha! I get it!"

"_Macy…" _Nick whispered to her scoldingly.

The food arrived and dinner ran smoothly for the most part except when Penny started feeding Jimmy, which compelled Nick and Macy to do the same thing with each other. But that was nothing compared to what Penny and Jimmy were doing in the movie theatre. Because Penny was right; they really didn't pay $7.50 to watch a movie because half-way through when the serial killer was spreading bloodshed in the quiet suburban town, Nick looked over and saw that Jimmy and Penny were sharing one seat and making out quite aggressively. Nick was overcome with jealousy. _What did Penny see in Jimmy, besides an obvious make-out buddy?_

"Nick!" Macy hissed at him but he was still appalled by the _activity _going on next to him so she nudged him on his shoulder and whispered his name even louder.

"What is it?" he snapped because he couldn't stand seeing Penny kissing another guy.

"We need to make out too," Macy answered.

"WHAT?" Nick looked at her like she lost her mind.

"I mean we need to seem like a couple, right?" Macy said and she was about to sit on his lap but Nick stopped her.

"Macy, we're not doing _that_," Nick said referring to what the couple on his right was doing.

"But we can pretend," Macy pointed out. She really wasn't planning on actually sucking face with him. "Just turn towards we and I'll put my hands on you. Here, let me mess up your hair a bit and I'll mess up mine and…"

She was searching for something in her bag and said, "Here it is. Let me put some colored lip balm on your lips."

"Whoa, Macy, that's taking things a bit too far!" Nick said as he tried to move away from her embrace. "Besides my lips are naturally soft, I don't need that."

"Dummy! It's not for you to have soft lips!" Macy said while chuckling a bit. "I'm just going to dab some on your lips so it will look like I actually kissed you. I mean we are supposed to _make out _right?"

She did have a point so Nick sighed and nodded his head for her to apply her cherry flavored lip balm on his lips. It really tasted fruity so he didn't really mind. They realized that both Penny and Jimmy won't notice if they were making out or not so they decided to continue watching the movie. At one point when the bloodshed got too intense, Macy screamed and placed her head against Nick's shoulder.

"Mace, it's not that scary," Nick said teasingly. Macy seemed to be such a strong and brave girl so he found it amusing that she can get frightened during bad horror movies because the movie they chose to watch was _really bad._

"Well I don't know about you, but getting your head chopped off is pretty darn scary," Macy said as she covered her eyes.

"Macy, that is scary but this movie is just bad in general," Nick answered. "Because they ruined the whole concept of what a scary movie should be like. Instead, every scene is a blood bath and someone dies every two seconds. Where's the suspense in that?"

But Macy wasn't listening to Nick's analysis because the serial killer in the movie was now using a chainsaw to attack an elderly lady. So for a majority of the movie Macy placed her head against Nick's shoulder and surprisingly, Nick didn't mind.

When the movie was over, Macy found herself waiting with Jimmy outside of the theater because Penny had to go back inside and look for her missing earring. Nick decided to help her as Macy took it upon herself to distract Jimmy. She needed Nick and Penny to spend a lot of time alone together so that they can get to know each other if their plan was going to work.

"So did you enjoy the movie?" Jimmy asked her politely.

"Yeah, I found it really scary," Macy answered. "Especially when that old lady was crossing the street and out of nowhere he comes out with that saw! I had to close my eyes for that. And then that other scene with the young couple…that was really heartbreaking…but I mean I…uh… didn't see the whole thing…because I was…uh…making out with Nick. Yeah, I couldn't keep my hands off of him. Hahahaha…"

Jimmy laughed and answered, "Although it seems like you watched more of the movie than Penny and I did. Anyway, I really appreciate you laughing at my jokes during dinner. Penny tries to be kind about it but I know she can't stand them."

"Oh, I wasn't faking it or anything," Macy replied. "I really love hearing corny jokes. Nick hates them but for some reason, I find them completely hilarious. So I'd love to hear any more you have."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jimmy said. "Anyway I was really impressed that you and Nick went white water rafting on your first date. Not many girls appreciate that kind of stuff. You have guts!"

"Well, I love extreme sports," Macy said. "Cliff-diving, bungee diving, sky-diving, you name it and I'm down."

"I would love to take Penny with me and do any of those things because like you, I'm an adrenaline junkie, but she's more into conventional sports," Jimmy explained. "However, my older brother went to these great cliffs off the coast of Brazil and he and his friends go cliff diving there all the time. You should go check it out. Maybe we can all go during summer break some time."

"Definitely!" Macy agreed excitedly. Jimmy was turning out to be someone she can easily talk to.

However, while Macy and Jimmy were bonding outside, Nick was trying his best to strike up a conversation with Penny while looking for her silver loop earring but every attempt he made always ended up with her agreeing with him and that was it. They were practically the same person but in different bodies. However, Nick was determined to find something that they can talk about. But before he could think up of something clever, Penny eventually found her earring. When they went out to join the rest of the gang, they were both surprised to find their respective significant other laughing out loud about something. For some reason, Nick felt uncomfortable and when he reached Macy he instinctively held her hand.

"What's so funny?" he asked her.

"Jimmy was just telling me a joke," Macy said as she tried to suppress her giggles because she knew that annoyed him. "Do you want to hear it?"

"No," Nick said curtly.

They were walking back home since they all lived near by and Macy and Jimmy continued their conversation.

"Yeah, so you should really consider about going on the trip," Jimmy said to Macy.

But before she could answer, she felt Nick squeeze her hand even tighter and asked her. "Trip? What trip?"

"Yeah! And why was I not invited?" Penny asked a bit miffed that Macy was getting her boyfriend's attention.

"We're just talking about going down to Brazil because his brother knows about these wicked cliffs that we can go cliff-diving from," Macy explained. "And it's not just us going! We want you guys to come of course!"

"It could be a fun summer trip we can all take together," Jimmy said.

"I don't know about the cliff-diving," Penny said. "I might not be up for that."

"Me too," Nick piped in. "Extreme sports is not really my thing."

"It's not my thing either," Penny agreed with Nick. "I rather go to the beach and maybe get a tan."

But they didn't realize that Macy and Jimmy were continuing their conversation without them so Nick loudly cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Anyway," Penny said loudly as they reached the corner where they would part ways. "Since we'll be splitting off from here, I just wanted to remind you again about that Children's Leukemia Foundation bike-a-thon, coming up next Saturday. I'll be seeing you both there, right?"

"Definitely," Nick answered.

"I don't know…you see I have this thing," Macy started off saying again and Nick repeated what he did last time and gave her a questioning look.

"What are you talking about, Mace? Of course we're going together," Nick said. "We want to help the children now, don't we?"

"Y-yeah, but…"Macy said hesitantly. She saw that they were all looking at her intently because why would she turn something down which was for a good cause? So she quickly changed her mind. "Okay, sure I think I can…um…get out of that thing I have on Saturday and go to the bike-a-thon."

"Great!" Penny exclaimed. "We'll see you both there!"

The four of them exchanged their good-byes before parting ways. Nick was still holding Macy's hand as he walked her home.

"Macy, what was that about?" Nick asked her questioningly. "Why don't you want to help Penny out in her fundraiser?"

"Well, you see…" Macy said hesitantly again. "I have this…um…appointment…for um… my…ears…to check for my hearing…Yeah that's right! I have a hearing problem!"

Macy nodded her head confidently because she really thought this was a legit excuse but Nick stopped walking to look at her skeptically.

"So you should just go without me," Macy continued. "At least you can have some alone time with Penny."

"I can't go without you! How will it look like for me to leave my girlfriend alone on a Saturday afternoon?" Nick pointed out quite frankly. "Besides, Macy, _you don't have a hearing problem."_

"Y-yeah, I do! Um…I mean what did you say, Nick? I couldn't hear you," Macy retorted to prove that her excuse was valid.

"MACY! Quit joking around!" Nick cried out frustratingly. "Really! Why don't you want to go next Saturday to the bike-a-thon?"

Macy bit her lip because she never knew she would have to admit something embarrassing as the real reason why she didn't want to go to Penny's event.

"You're going to laugh at me…"Macy said shyly.

"I promise I won't," Nick answered. He was growing really curious as to why Macy had to lie about what she really planned on doing Saturday afternoon.

"You see," Macy started off saying as she looked up at Nick. "I don't know how to ride a bike."

Nick gave her his signature smirk that slowly turned into an amused grin and said, "_You can't ride a bike_?"

He was doing his best to suppress his laughter.

Macy hit him on the shoulder, and yelled, "You said you wouldn't laugh!"

"Sorry," Nick answered. "It's just really amazing that you, out of all people, the girl who is the captain of ten sports team in our school and who loves jumping off cliffs, can't ride a bike. Isn't that something every child should know how to do? It's like your rite of passage for being a kid."

"Way to make me feel so inferior," Macy said gloomily.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Nick said as he gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "But do you mind me asking why you never learned? Did you just not like bikes in general?"

"No, it's not that," Macy answered. "My dad passed away when I was really young so I never learned and my mom was too busy trying to make ends meet so she never had time to teach me or my brother. So I just kind of forgot about it and never really pushed the matter."

"Oh," Nick said. That was a good reason.

They walked silently until they reached Macy's place.

"So tonight was sort of a success?" Macy asked Nick as she turned to face him.

"Yeah, it kind of was," Nick answered. "I think we pulled if off."

"Definitely. I don't think they suspected a thing," Macy replied happily as she started to approach her house. "So, Nick, this is my house. I got to go."

"Yeah," Nick said casually.

But he didn't realize that Macy was staring intently at his hand which was still holding onto hers tightly.

"Nick…um…you should let me go," Macy said bluntly.

"What?" Nick said and when he realized what he was doing he quickly let go off her hand while blushing and said nervously. "Sorry about that."

"So I'll see you in school?" Macy asked him as she tried to recover from that awkward moment between them. _It felt like she had butterflies in her stomach._

"Yeah, I'll see you," Nick answered. He started feeling strange around her. _He didn't know why…_and because he didn't know what to do next, he quickly leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Macy could feel her cheeks burning up because she didn't expect Nick to give her a good-night kiss. _It was nice._

"G-good-night," Macy said as she felt her heart rate speed up.

"Night," Nick replied as he too felt his heart beating rapidly. _This was getting a bit weird._

The next day, Macy wanted to sleep in because she got back around 10pm last night after the whole double date thing. But there was a pounding on her bedroom door that was determined to wake her up.

"GO AWAY!" Macy yelled as she put a pillow over her head to drown out the noise.

"MACY!" her mother called. "You have a visitor. It's Nick. He's waiting for you downstairs."

Macy immediately sat up. She wasn't expecting him to come over so she rushed down the stairs and saw Nick waiting on the porch.

"What on earth are you doing here, Nick?" Macy asked him.

He gave her a helmet and said, "Come on, Macy, dress up. I'm giving you a second chance to be a kid again."

"Huh?" Macy asked him confused.

Nick sighed because it really wasn't that hard to figure out what he was doing there.

"I'm going to teach you how to ride a bike," he answered simply and pointed to the bike he brought with him.

Macy stared at Nick and at the bike and smiled to herself. _She never knew Nick could be full of surprises._

_

* * *

_**Closing Remarks:**

Slowly but surely, the lines are starting to get blurred between Nick and Macy. How will their romance progress? or will they try to fight any form of attraction that they have for one another? What do you guys think will happen next? I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Expect things to pick up in the future chapters.

FYI I actually had to look online for the bad jokes Jimmy told them during dinner. LOL.

Once again, I'm still busy with school so it's going to take me a while to update this. I hope you enjoy the story so far. REVIEW. The excitement that all of you guys have expressed about this story motivates me to try and update this thing as fast as possible.

-Penelope36


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 Bicycle**

"Just pedal, Macy!" Nick cried out frustratingly.

He thought teaching Macy would only take an hour or two for her to master the art of riding a bicycle. He factored in the fact that Macy Misa was a very athletic girl so he counted on her to be a very fast learner but he was surprised that she had no sense of balance whatsoever. That was why it was taking them the whole morning for her to get the hang of it.

"I can't!" Macy complained.

They were in the park on a beautiful Saturday morning but the sun was now making it ascent as it became perpendicular to the ground indicating that it was almost noon.

"Just lift your other leg up," Nick ordered her. He tried his best to be patient with her but Macy was being stubborn because she didn't trust his judgment.

She was hesitant to take her foot off the ground.

"If I do that, I'm going to fall," Macy said as she gripped the handle bars tightly.

"At this rate, you'll never even move!" Nick pointed out. He let out a sigh of frustration. "Don't you want me to teach you how to ride a bike or not?"

"Y-yeah…but I'm scared to lift my foot," Macy said sheepishly. She didn't know why she was so scared to bring her foot up to the pedal. She loved to do extreme sports but for some reason, balancing herself on a bicycle was far scarier for her than jumping off a cliff.

"Don't be scared, Macy," Nick assured her. "I'm here. I won't let you fall."

Macy turned her head towards him and said, "You promise?"

Nick smiled at her and said, "Yeah, I promise."

"Nick, you better not let go," Macy said now determined to put her foot up. "Okay?"

"I won't," Nick said. He was happy to see her finally putting her foot up to the pedal. "Okay, now pedal, Macy."

She followed his orders and the bicycle began to move. She was doing it! _She was riding a bike!_

"Nick, I'm doing it!" she cried out happily as she began pedaling faster.

"You sure are!" Nick said running along behind her while holding onto the back of the bike to keep it steady.

"I'm actually riding a bike!" Macy said loudly. She was picking up momentum and then she yelled back to Nick. "Am I going too fast, Nick? You want me to slow down?"

She knew Nick was running behind her but she was going fast now and she wasn't sure if he could keep up. So she waited for his response but there was none.

"Nick?" she said again but this time she no longer heard his footsteps behind her. "NICK!"

"JUST KEEP PEDALING, MACY!" Nick yelled at her _from far away._

"You said you wouldn't let go!" Macy yelled back. Her bike started to swerve unsteadily because fear struck in her when she realized that the curly-haired boy wasn't supporting her anymore. "OH NO! I'M GOING TO DIE! NICK! AHHHHHH!"

She yelled as she felt her bike tilt towards the right side and in a matter of seconds, Macy met the pavement.

"MACY!" Nick yelled while running towards her and when he reached her he asked her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said heatedly.

"What happened? You were doing so well!"

He offered his hand to help her up but she ignored him. Instead Macy glared up at him as she picked herself up from the ground. Thankfully, she had no deep bruises.

"You said you wouldn't let go!" Macy said curtly as she continued to glare at him.

Nick rolled his eyes but said while smiling, "Of course, I had to let go at one point. Before, you even realized I wasn't there anymore, you were riding on your own, Macy. You rode a bike!"

But Macy wasn't reveling in that fact because all she said was "You promised you wouldn't let me fall."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Nick apologized but then he couldn't help but say amusingly. "But come on, Mace. You were being a bit dramatic. _Oh no I'm going to die!"_

He couldn't help but laugh when he said the last part. He thought mocking her would lighten the mood and point out that she was overreacting. But Macy didn't appreciate his humor at this time. She was glaring even more at him and punched him hard on his arm as she said angrily, "That's not funny."

"Fine, Macy," Nick said as he rubbed his arm. _She really did hit him hard. _"I'm sorry."

He really thought Macy was going to bail on him now that she realized he wasn't reliable in keeping his promises but he was surprised when she said. "Okay, let's do this again."

"Really?" he asked her kind of surprised.

"Yeah," Macy said as she sighed loudly. "I'm not going to let this minor setback stop me from learning."

"That's the spirit," Nick said admiringly. She really was a determined individual._ That was one thing they had in common._

So they resumed their positions again. But this time, Macy turned around to face Nick and said, "Don't let go until I tell you to, okay?"

Nick nodded his head and repeated her order, "Okay, I won't let go until you tell me to."

Macy faced straight ahead and gripped the handlebars tightly. She took a deep breath and slowly but steadily lifted her foot up to the pedal. And she began pedaling. She started to pedal some more and she heard Nick's footsteps behind her as he now began running to keep his hands on the bike itself.

"You're doing it Mace!" he said happily.

"I know!" Macy yelled back enthusiastically.

"I'm still holding on," Nick assured her.

Macy smiled when he said that. Nick kept his promise this time but she knew what he said before was right. He needed to let go at one point so she took a deep breath and said, "You can let go now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Nick," Macy answered confidently. "I think I can take it from here."

And just like that, Nick let go and watched as Macy pedaled away from him. She was doing it all on her own and she kept going. Nick wasn't sure when she was planning to stop so he began running after her so that he can continue looking after her just in case she fell again. But she seemed to finally have the hang of it. She didn't need him anymore.

Macy was riding her bike—well, it was actually his bike but still, she was riding a bike nonetheless! She enjoyed the wind blowing through her hair as the sun shone in front of her. She no longer felt nervous because Nick helped her and he didn't let go until she gave him permission._ He was a nice guy._ Macy blushed because she never asked him to teach her, he offered on his own…She was busy thinking about what a nice guy Nick was that she didn't even notice the big rock on the pathway that sent her flying off her bike once she ran into it.

"MACY!" she heard Nick call after her but instead of wincing in pain, as she landed safely on the grass, Macy burst out in laughter.

"Macy?" Nick said curiously when he noticed her odd reaction.

"Wow…HAHAHAHAHA…twice in a row I managed to make a complete fool out of myself!" Macy said as she continued laughing. _She really was a trooper. They don't call her mighty-Macy-Misa-sports-girl-_extraordinaire _for nothing._

Nick laughed hesitantly because he wasn't sure if he had the permission to join in on her laughter. He didn't want her to hit him again.

"Did you see me go flying off?" Macy asked him amused.

"Yeah," Nick said while laughing with her. "Yet you managed to do it so gracefully."

"Gracefully! Hah! I'm such a klutz!" Macy retorted as her laughter subsided. She laid on the ground and didn't even bother to get up so Nick sat next to her on the grass.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nick asked her clearly concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Some minor scratches but nothing big."

"That's good. But should we take a break and grab something to eat?" Nick suggested.

Macy nodded her head and she and Nick went to a nearby vendor and bought some soda and hot dogs. They found an empty bench nearby to sit on while they ate their lunch together.

"Sorry for hitting you before," Macy said before she took a bite of her hot dog.

"No problemo," Nick replied. "I deserved it."

Macy shook her head and said, "No, you didn't…"

The sun was still shining brightly so that when Nick looked at Macy, he saw her in a _different light._ He never noticed how big her almond shaped eyes really were. _She really did have pretty eyes._

"Nick?" Macy said while looking at him curiously.

"What?" Nick said as he tried to mentally shake himself away from that _weird trance._

"I was just saying thank you for spending your Saturday teaching me how to ride a bike," Macy said. She smiled at him and added jokingly. "You're really great, _Nicky-boo._"

Nick shook his head as he smiled at Macy and said, "Please, don't call me that. It was so hard to put up with it last night…_Macy-bear._"

"Ugh…you're right," Macy said as she expressed her disgust. "I can't believe Penny and Jimmy call each other cutesy names like that."

"Yeah, I know," Nick replied. "I don't think I can handle that. Makes me want to gag."

"Well, when you get together with Penny, you need to lay some ground rules with her or else you'll be called Nicky- pooh all the time," Macy kidded with him. She was laughing loudly at the thought of Nick being called Nicky-pooh for the rest of his life.

Nick rolled his eyes at Macy and took a big sip of his coke.

"Hm…maybe when you and Penny get together, I should consider asking Jimmy out," she considered this thought half-seriously because she didn't really feel _that attracted to Jimmy_ if anything she pictured him to be a very good friend in the long run but the moment she put the idea of dating him out in the open, Nick immediately spit out the coke that was in his mouth moments ago.

"Whoa! Nick are you okay?" Macy asked him concerned as she began to pat his back hard because she thought he might be choking.

"N-no I'm fine but what did you just say before?" Nick said as he wiped his mouth and tried to recover from his embarrassing reaction.

"I was thinking about maybe asking Jimmy out after our whole plan succeeds. He's a pretty decent guy," Macy pointed out. "And he's really funny."

"You can't be serious, Macy?" Nick said disdainfully. "Out of all the guys you can ask out, you're going to consider Jimmy?"

"Why? What's wrong with him?" Macy asked him questioningly.

"I mean Jimmy is nice and all but he's not that funny," Nick said somewhat forcefully. "I mean if you go for that kind of stuff, suit yourself but I can't picture you with him…"

"How can you not picture me with him? We both have the same sense of humor and he loves extreme sports just like me!" Macy argued. She didn't understand why Nick could be so against her getting together with Jimmy.

"Okay. Fine you do have some stuff in common but is that really all you look for in a guy? Corny jokes and a love for extreme sports?" Nick asked her. He didn't understand why he was getting all riled up about this. _It's not like he's competing with Jimmy or anything…right?_

"That's not the only thing," Macy said quietly. "You read what I put on my questionnaire…"

Nick did read what she wrote and he was curious about that too because she only wrote one criteria on what she looked for in a guy.

"I did read it," Nick said slowly. "And you only listed _honesty _as the main thing you look for in a guy. And that's good and all but isn't that kind of broad? I mean a guy can be honest but be the biggest douche-bag in the world."

"That's true," Macy answered.

Nick could tell that Macy was thinking of something but she didn't seem to want to disclose whatever it was she was thinking of, so he continued. "If you don't mind me asking, if you had to choose, let's say... four more traits, what would they be?"

For reasons unknown to him, Nick grew very curious on how Macy would answer his question.

"Four more?" Macy repeated.

"Yeah, four more."

"Hm…" Macy had to think about it because she could tell that Nick was really keen on knowing how she was going to respond to his question. She suddenly felt nervous but she finally said, "Well, for starters, I like guys who are funny."

Nick nodded. Even though Joe was considered the funniest Lucas brother, Nick had his moments with his clever and witty one-liners. He wasn't serious all the time. He can be a funny guy too, Nick thought to himself

"And he needs to have good manners," Macy added. She noticed that when she said this Nick sat up straight and had a smug expression on his face. Nick didn't like to brag but thanks to his parents, he was one of the best mannered boys in the world.

"Go on," Nick said simply.

Macy smiled and continued, "And he needs to have a good sense of style. It shows that he has confidence, which is definitely a major plus."

Nick looked at his outfit. He wore a fitted white t-shirt, a plaid-blue button-down shirt he wore open, and khaki pants. It was a very preppy looking outfit but definitely put together. He never left the house without making sure everything matched. _He was pretty stylish for a boy his age._

"And he must always keep me interested," Macy finished. "He can't be boring."

Hm…Nick thought. Kevin was the Lucas brother who always told interesting stories. His oldest brother wasn't boring at all. Nick started feeling a little bit insecure because he knew he was often labeled the quiet and sometimes the _dull_ one but he had his moments too. He didn't like to talk all the time but when he did have something to say, everyone would say that it was really interesting or enlightening. Wait a minute...Nick had to stop his line of thinking...

'Why am I applying myself to everything Macy's saying about her ideal guy?' Nick thought to himself. 'It's not like I'm interested in her…'

"So that's the other four traits I look for in a guy," Macy said. She could tell that Nick was deep in thought about something. She was starting to feel a little weird around him. _Why did it feel like her stomach was full of butterflies again?_

"That's a good list," Nick finally said. He looked at the ground because he was still thinking about everything she just told him.

"Nick?"

"Yes?"

"So for you, Penny's the complete package, huh?" Macy asked him. She started feeling a bit insecure about herself.

"What?" Nick asked her because he wasn't really paying attention to her since he was still deep in thought.

"I mean when I read how you answered that same question for what you look for in a girl you basically described Penny Madison," Macy pointed out. She started to shift uncomfortably in her seat. "She has to be tall, blonde, blue-eyes, sincere, polite, and pretty."

"Well…um…I mean that's my preference," Nick said but quickly added. "But it's not set in stone or anything. I mean she doesn't necessarily have to be blonde. She can have brown hair. That's superficial stuff. And yes, Penny is pretty but you're pretty, too."

"What did you say?" Macy asked him because she was surprised by his unexpected compliment. Her heart felt as if it could burst out from her chest.

"I mean, other girls are pretty and yeah, Penny is not the only pretty face out there," Nick explained as he felt himself blushing profusely. _Why was his heart beating rapidly like last night?_ "I'm just saying that Penny is almost the complete package because she fits my ideal girl."

"So your ideal girl has to be tall, blonde, and blue-eyed?" asked Macy.

"Yes…er… I mean no! She's just the model of what I consider ideal," Nick tried to explain but he knew he was making a complete fool out of himself.

"Oh…" Macy said somewhat disappointedly because she was none of that at all. She wasn't tall nor blonde nor blue-eyed. Instead she was short, brunette, and brown-eyed— not Nick's ideal. _But why was she upset that she didn't fit his description? It's not like she's competing with Penny for Nick's affection._

"But looks aren't everything," Nick added because he was trying to redeem himself from yet another embarrassing situation. "I want a girl who I can carry a conversation with."

"Really?" Macy asked him hopefully.

"Yeah, I mean a relationship is based on communication right?" Nick proclaimed.

"That's true," Macy agreed happily. She was comforted by this fact because she was someone who could definitely carry a conversation with Nick even if it meant arguing with him about mundane things like whether the Red Sox or the Yankees was the better team. Wait a minute…Hold up...

'Why do I care if I can carry a conversation with Nick?' Macy thought to herself. 'It's not like I'm dating Nick. Hahahaha! What an absurd thought!'

The sun was beginning to make its descent and at that moment when Macy looked at Nick, she realized that he really did have soft-looking lips. She wondered how they felt like…Macy could feel herself blushing when an image of her kissing Nick popped in her head.

'What am I thinking!' Macy thought to herself. 'I don't like Nick!'

They finished their meal and when they realized that it was almost 5 in the afternoon, they decided to call it a day. Nick walked her home and when they neared her house he asked, "Macy, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Macy said. "Go ahead."

Nick gulped and said, "You promise to be honest, okay?"

"Okay," Macy agreed. _What could this be about?_

"Do you think I'm boring?" Nick asked her sheepishly because that question had been bugging him the whole afternoon when Macy mentioned that her ideal guy had to be interesting.

The question caught her off guard and so she took a while to answer. She noticed that Nick was becoming even more distressed with every passing second.

"I guess that's a yes," Nick said crestfallen.

_'Oh my god. She thinks I'm dull,' _Nick thought to himself.

"No!" Macy said quickly. "The question was so unexpected that's why I couldn't answer right away. But no, Nick, you're not boring at all. Some people talk all the time but everything they say is pointless. But everything you say makes sense. And even though you don't talk as much as your brothers, when you do talk, it's always so profound and _very interesting_."

"Really?" Nick said in visibly higher spirits. _He wasn't boring after all. _

"Yeah," Macy assured him.

They reached her house and when she was about to go inside she thanked Nick again.

"Thanks for everything, Nick," Macy said. "You really didn't have to do this."

"Of course I had to," Nick said. "What are friends for?"

_Friends. _Macy wasn't sure why that word didn't uplift her spirits like it did before when any of the Lucas brothers called her their friend. _It was like she was expecting more from Nick._ But she didn't want to linger on that thought.

"I really appreciate it," Macy said and she walked towards him and gave him a big hug. "Thank you."

Nick felt his heart racing again and he let go of his bike and wrapped his arms around her too. _This was a nice hug, _he thought. She felt so warm and comforting.

"Bye, Nick," Macy said when she broke away from him. She could tell she was blushing even harder now because her whole body seemed to become hot all of a sudden.

"Bye, Macy," he said as he watched her go inside. He started experiencing the same symptoms he felt when he was near a certain blonde-haired girl but that girl wasn't near him at all. The only girl in front of him was Macy but no...it couldn't be…it just can't…Nick needed to get a grip because he didn't have feelings for _Macy Misa._

'Macy's just a friend,' Nick kept telling himself. 'She's just a friend…'

_Or so he thought..._

* * *

**Closing Remarks:**

Nick and Macy are both in denial. They don't want to accept that things are starting to change between them but the signs are there. The seed has been planted, so to speak. Who do you think will cave in first to their emotions? What will happen to their initial plan? Will Nick succeed in winning Penny's heart? or is there another girl he rather be with? So many questions!

It was a nice change of pace to have one whole chapter devoted to the sole interaction between Nick and Macy. Usually, all my NACY scenes come at the beginning or at the end but never really in the middle so this is definitely something different. If you like this story then you should check out my other story 'A Complete 180.' However, feel free to read my other stories too! (But they'll have much more drama than this).

Read and REVIEW! THANKS! :-)

-Penelope36


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 Unexpected Changes**

Macy didn't get a wink of sleep on Saturday and Sunday night because every time she did close her eyes, she kept thinking of a certain handsome boy_. _Nick was a nice guy and he was really, really good-looking. But he was always that way. It's not like he suddenly became hot all of a sudden. Since the first day she met them, Macy always felt attracted to him and the whole JONAS band but she never felt _this way_ before. This had to be a different kind of _attraction, _that Macy didn't want to confront yet. Because there was something indescribable brewing up inside of her every time she thought of Nick. She kept replaying the memories they made that Saturday when he taught her how to ride a bike. They didn't have their usual banter back and forth between them. Instead, they were able to just talk and confide with one another. It was a nice change of pace.

The next Monday morning, Macy found herself spending more time getting ready for school than usual. She took a good look at herself in the mirror. Even though, she was sixteen-years-old, she felt as if she was still stuck in a twelve-year-old body. She had no curves whatsoever. She definitely wasn't what boys would call sexy. If anything, she still looked like a child. This made her sad. She needed to change her appearance somehow to fix this…_so that she can get his attention._ What was she thinking! She didn't like _him…or did she?_ No, that couldn't possibly be it. Despite, all of this confusion, she took an hour fixing her hair. And she never wore make up to school but today she decided to experiment with a little lip gloss, eye-liner, and mascara.

"Hey, Macy!" greeted Stella when she approached her locker which was next to hers.

"Hi, Stells," Macy greeted back. "How was your weekend?"

"I didn't do much. I just stayed home but look at these!" Stella said showing her fingers which were bandaged up. "I spent all of Saturday and Sunday sewing the new wardrobes for the boys and…"

She stopped what she was saying when she noticed something really different about Macy.

The brunette looked at Stella curiously because she seemed to be at a loss of words.

"What is it, Stella?"

"Macy, _are you wearing make-up_?" she asked her slowly. This was definitely something unexpected because the petite brunette never shared her passion for fashion and glamour before. She was a tomboy at heart and that was why this discovery was indeed epic in every sense of the word.

Macy quickly turned away and stared into her locker.

"Yes, but its no big deal," Macy replied quickly. _Was it really noticeable?_

"Yes! It is a big deal!" Stella answered happily as she gave her friend a big hug. "Are you finally coming to the _dark side_, as you so-called it before, and finally embracing your feminine charm?"

Macy gave Stella a scornful look and pointed out, "I wore make-up before, Stel-la."

"Yeah, for special occasions but that's like a necessity," her blonde-haired friend replied. "But you never wore make-up casually. It's not a bad thing Macy! I'm really happy. We can actually go shopping together and get manicures and—

"Whoa, Stella, don't get carried away now," Macy said. "I just felt like changing up my appearance a bit."

Stella looked at her suspiciously.

"Why? Is it for a boy?"

"WHAT?" Macy said nervously because the moment she said that she spotted Nick and his brothers walking in the hallway. "N-no of course not."

Stella eyed her skeptically again but she didn't press the matter because she knew that Macy would tell her if she was interested in a boy. They hid nothing from each other. They were best friends after all.

The bell rang and Macy and Stella walked together to their next class.

"Stella, you're lucky," Macy said miserably. She didn't look at her when she said this.

"What? Why?" Stella asked her quizzically. She could tell that Macy was thinking deeply about something.

"Because you have blonde hair…" Macy replied quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Stella asked her disbelievingly. _Since when did Macy become so superficial?_

"I mean, guys like blonde-haired girls. It so easy for you to get their attention…maybe I should dye my hair blonde…" Macy admitted. She saw Nick walking in front of her but she didn't want to catch up and walk with him because she was beginning to feel weird again.

Stella stopped walking and put a hand on Macy's arm to stop her too.

"What is going on with you, Macy?" Stella questioned her. "Why, all of a sudden, are you insecure about your looks? You have beautiful dark brown hair. Don't even think about dying it."

"I know it's just that…I don't know…change is good, right?" Macy asked her.

"Yes, when it's necessary but what you're saying isn't necessary at all," Stella said. "You're beautiful just the way you are, Mace."

Stella looked at Macy and noticed that she wasn't looking at her anymore but somewhere off in the distance. She turned around to follow her gaze and saw _who_ it was she was looking at and she now understood the situation.

"Macy, is this about Nick?" she asked her slowly.

"N-no!" Macy said again in her nervous voice and quickly looked in another direction. "It's not about him. Why would you think that!"

She was laughing uneasily now.

"Then, why are you saying all this stuff? And why are you wearing make-up all of a sudden and talking about dying your hair blonde?"

"It's not about him I swear!"

"As much as I hate to admit this, but Joe is right," Stella said. "You and Nick need to stop this. Someone's going to end up getting hurt."

"It's not about Nick!" Macy yelled frustratingly now. "Gosh, Stella! Don't make this into something it isn't!"

Stella was taken aback by her sudden outburst because Macy never yelled at her before.

"Okay. I'm just saying I don't want to see you getting hurt again," Stella said. "Remember what happened with Tyler—

"This is not like _that time_," Macy pointed out as she remembered a distant memory that she wished to forget. "Besides, I know Nick doesn't like me. He likes Penny, remember? This is completely different. I know the boundaries."

"Are you sure, Macy?" Stella asked her doubtfully. She really cared for her best friend.

"I'm sure, Stella," Macy said in a much calmer manner and continued saying very quickly and in a very chipper voice. "Besides, I was just joking before. I wasn't really considering dying my hair! As if! HAHAHAHAHAHA. And the make-up was just a joke too. I'm actually going to wash it all off right now. But wasn't it a good April Fool's joke? You really believed it, Stella! I never thought you could be so gullible! Well, I got to go. See you, best friend!"

Macy hurriedly walked down the hallway but Stella called out after her, "What are you talking about? It's not even April, Macy!"

Something definitely was up with her and Stella had a bad feeling about it.

Meanwhile, Nick was also trying to cope with what he felt during that Saturday afternoon. _He didn't like Macy! Pshh…_The thought itself was preposterous. Macy wasn't even his type. She was loud, obnoxious, and had a bad sense of humor. She didn't fit his ideal girl like Penny did…_I like Penny. She's perfect,_ Nick kept telling himself that. Macy was his accomplice to win Penny's heart, not the other way around. But he couldn't help but remember how the sunlight made her look completely different that afternoon. Nick tried to shake away any form of attraction he felt towards her. Anyone could become pretty when given the right lighting. Even the ugliest girl in school can look gorgeous when given the right angle. Macy just happened to have both the perfect lighting and the right angle at that moment to captivate his attention. It wasn't like she looked like that _all the time._

And that's why Nick once again wasn't paying attention to Mr. Peterson during geometry class because he was now too busy staring at Macy to prove his point. But it was hopeless because it just so happened that at that moment Macy happened to be once again under the right lighting and the perfect angle. _She really was pretty. _Why didn't he notice that before? _Wait…what was he thinking? Macy Misa is not his type!_

"Mr. Lucas!" yelled the teacher. "MR. NICHOLAS LUCAS!"

"What?" Nick said abruptly when he realized that Mr. Peterson was calling on him.

"Do you have the answer to question number four?"

"Uh…um…" Nick mumbled. "Is it twenty-four?"

Mr. Peterson shook his head disappointedly and said, "Maybe if you paid more attention, Mr. Lucas, you would be caught up with the rest of the class. But does anyone have the answer? Anyone?"

Nick slumped down in his seat. He wanted to look at Macy again but he could tell that most of his classmates, including she, were looking at him questioningly. The rest of the day didn't help his cause to prove that Macy wasn't _that pretty_ because every time he stopped and looked at Macy she just happened to be always under the perfect lighting and the right angle. She must be extremely lucky that the school's lighting complimented her features. _Yes, that had to be it._ It was plain luck that she looked _like that_ today because Macy couldn't have possibly looked so attractive before, otherwise, he would have definitely noticed.

"Hey, bro, what are you looking at?" Kevin asked him when they sat down in their lunch table.

"Nothing," Nick answered quickly.

"It's not nice saying Macy is nothing," Joe pointed out because he obviously saw who it was he was staring at.

"Shut up, Joe," Nick said heatedly. "I wasn't staring at her."

And Joe was about to reply but Nick kicked him hard under the table to be quiet because Stella and Macy came to join them at their usual spot.

"Hey guys," Stella greeted them and took a seat next to Joe leaving Macy to take the seat next to Nick.

Macy knew that Stella would be paying close attention to her now that she suspected something was going on between her and Nick but there really wasn't anything going on! So she gave Nick her usual welcoming smile.

"Hi, Nick," she said extra politely. _She didn't want him to suspect anything either._

"Hello, Macy," Nick said in a very casual tone. _He tried to look at her quickly because he didn't want to succumb to that same trance. _

They tried to converse with everyone in the table but each other.

"Nick!" a familiar voice called from across the hallway.

Both of them turned around and Macy saw her—the beautiful and perfect Penny Madison. Her shiny, long blonde hair really did sway to and fro every time she walked. And her eyes were really blue. They seemed to sparkle. Macy started feeling really insecure again. She really had nothing against Penny but right now she wanted to mess up her hair so that it was no longer shiny and picture perfect. It was really distracting.

"Oh hey Penny," Nick said in a voice Macy noticed was extra cheerful. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Hey Penny," Macy said but noticed that she didn't seem to acknowledge her presence.

Meanwhile, Nick was trying to readjust. He needed to prove to himself that he still liked Penny, not Macy ,so when the blonde-haired girl happened to appear in front of him, Nick tried to pay extra attention to her.

"So are you up for Saturday?" Penny asked him. Macy noticed that she put her hand on his shoulder. _That was not necessary, _Macy thought to herself.

"Yeah, definitely," Nick said. He wondered why Macy was being very quiet. She wasn't acting very girlfriend-like so he took her hand in his. He was surprised that once he did that his heart began to beat rapidly again.

Macy was suffering from a similar reaction because she could hear her heart beating loudly now. _She hoped no one else could hear it_. She was starting to feel weird again.

She noticed that Nick was looking at her.

"Right, Macy?" Nick repeated again. _Why was Macy spacing out?_

"Huh?"

"I said we're both going to the fundraiser event," Nick said.

"Oh y-yeah," Macy said while blushing. _Why did she suddenly feel all warm inside?_

"I thought you had something to do?" Penny asked her in a polite voice that seemed to be forced.

"Yeah, but I'm free now," Macy said. She didn't know why Penny seemed to be disappointed by this.

"Well…um…that's great!" Penny said in a forced cheerful voice again. "I'll see you both there, then."

They both waved good-bye to her as she walked away. Nick quickly let go of Macy's hand. He didn't want to recreate that awkward moment when he held onto her hand longer than necessary.

Macy knew that Stella was looking at her intently because she was doing a bad job of hiding her feelings.

"Macy, are you okay?" Nick asked her now concerned. "You seem a bit flustered."

Macy covered her cheeks with her hands. _Great, now he noticed too._

"It's nothing," she said quickly. "But it's really hot in here. I need to –uh- go to the bathroom."

Macy quickly got up and ran to the nearest restroom. Once inside, she locked herself in one of the stalls, and closed the lid of the toilet to sit down.

'Get a grip, Macy,' she told herself. 'I don't like Nick.'

They had nothing in common. He was a Yankees fan for Crissakes! And he didn't share her passion for extreme sports! He made fun of her every chance he could get and mocked her for liking musicals. Nick Lucas wasn't the boy for her…he deserves Penny Madison. She wasn't anything he looked for in a girl. So what if they could both carry a conversation with each other. She could do that with almost anybody. It's not like he was special. But then again, he was self-less when he volunteered to teach her how to ride a bike and he did apologize every time he offended her. _He was a perfect gentleman. _

Macy shook her head because she didn't want to fall in love…again. But this was not like that other time with Tyler because she and Nick knew they were both using each other. She knew that Nick didn't really like her. It was all pretend. _They were the great pretenders after all._

'Come on, Macy, focus,' Macy said to herself. She kept that mantra in her head throughout the day and for the rest of the week.

Every time she saw Nick she pretended that everything was the same between them but she was not fooling anyone, especially Stella Malone. It was a Thursday afternoon and Stella was talking to Macy by her lockers. But Macy wasn't really listening because at that moment when Stella was telling her a story, Nick and his brothers were walking to their lockers and he seemed to be telling Kevin and Joe an amusing story judging by their faces. She never realized what a nice smile Nick had. And he had such a defined jaw line. It was definitely a manly feature. And his eyes squinted every time he laughed. It was adorable. And why must he always wear form fitting shirts that enhanced his toned arms? He must lift weights or something because the boy was definitely fit. She could feel herself blushing just by looking at Mr. Nick Lucas.

"MACY!" Stella yelled frustratingly. "You're not listening to me!"

"Huh? Yeah, I am," Macy exclaimed and she quickly turned around to face her but it was too late because Stella looked at the direction she was staring at moments ago.

Stella turned to her best friend with a now serious expression on her face.

"Macy…" Stella said slowly but still in a serious tone.

"What?"

"You like Nick, don't you?" she asked her point blank.

Macy gulped. She didn't want to lie to Stella but she wasn't sure herself so she honestly replied, "I don't know…"

"Macy! You like him," Stella said as she put her hand on her shoulder to turn her towards her. "You like Nick!"

"Stella, please don't be so loud," Macy pleaded with her. "I'm just confused right now…I…uh…don't think I do…it's just that he seems so different now."

Stella couldn't believe what she was hearing. And how could Macy still deny it? The signs were obvious. She knew that had to be it.

"Macy, you can't continue this," Stella told her adamantly. "You can't pretend anymore. You're going to end up getting hurt."

Macy didn't like what she was saying.

"This is like Tyler all over again!" Stella continued.

Macy was trying to control herself because she really didn't appreciate that she was bringing up her ex-boyfriend's name again.

"Stella, shut up!" she said in a severe tone but tried to remain as calm as possible. "Nick is nothing like Tyler. He's not using me without my knowledge. I agreed to help him win Penny's heart. It was my doing not his. So please stop comparing them."

"Macy—

"Please, stay out of this," Macy said. "I got this under control. Nick likes Penny and so I'm helping him out. That's all. Don't worry about me."

Macy ran all the way home. She didn't know why she was crying. Her tears just suddenly appeared in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Nick tried to focus on the initial goal of the plan he and Macy concocted. So when he saw Penny hanging up fliers all over the school for the fundraiser bike-a-thon, he offered to help her.

"You need a helping hand?" Nick asked her.

The blonde girl turned around so fast with a broad smile on her face.

"Nick! Of course! I was just thinking about you," she said.

"You were?" Nick asked her somewhat perplexed by what she said. In fact, Nick noticed that Penny seemed to be very flirtatious around him because she was suddenly very touchy-feely around him since her hand was on his arm.

"Yeah," Penny said. "I'm glad you're here. You can help me put some of these up. I want to get more students involve in the Children's Leukemia Foundation."

"Sure, no problem," Nick said as he put his stuff down and started taping the papers on random lockers.

They spent fifteen minutes putting up the fliers. During their time together, Nick was surprised that he was able to actually carry a decent conversation with her which was definitely different from his attempt back at the movie theater. She seemed to be enjoying all the stories he told about his brothers and funny moments that happened during their recent tour. He started experiencing the same symptoms he had when he was around her…_See, I still like Penny, _Nick thought to himself. He laughed to himself because the feelings he thought he had for Macy was put to rest. It must have been a momentary lapse in his brain or something because he started feeling attracted to the blonde-hair girl again.

"You're a really great guy, Nick," Penny said as she finished putting up the last flier.

Nick could feel his cheeks burning up. It was nice receiving a compliment from her.

"Thanks," he said sheepishly.

"You are a true gentleman, Nick," Penny said and just like that she placed a kiss on his cheek.

He knew his cheeks were turning an even deeper shade of red and his palms were beginning to sweat. However, both of them didn't realize that a particular brunette girl saw everything that happened between them—even that kiss.

It was Saturday and Macy was debating if she should go to the bike-a-thon. She really didn't want to be around Nick and Penny after what she saw yesterday. Nick clearly still liked her judging by how smitten he looked after she kissed him. And why did Penny do that anyway? Does she usually do that to all her guy friends when she has a boyfriend? She felt like she should tell Jimmy about it but she didn't want Nick to get into trouble. Besides, it was only a kiss on the cheek. It's not like they made out. It was just an innocent peck on the cheek…

'I'm not jealous,' Macy thought to herself. 'Besides, Nick gave me an innocent peck on the cheek too. So it's not like Penny is ahead or anything.'

Macy shook her head again because why did she feel the need to compete with Penny? She wasn't fighting for Nick. _What was she thinking!_

She was really considering ditching Nick but it was just her luck that he came by her place so that they could walk together to the fundraiser event at St. Luke's hospital. Secretly, Nick was thankful it was cloudy that Saturday morning. There would be no sunlight that could distract him when he looked at Macy.

So reluctantly, Macy walked with him. She wore an oversized sweatshirt and biking shorts. She really didn't feel like embellishing her look for him. When they were near the hospital, Nick attempted to hold her hand so that they could act all couple-y with one another just in case Jimmy or Penny saw them but he was surprised when Macy yanked her hand away from his.

"Macy?" he looked at her questioningly. _Why did she do that?_

"Oh sorry," she said quickly and grabbed his hand again.

She surprised herself too because she didn't mean to be rude about it. It's not like she didn't want to hold his hand but she hated to admit it to herself but she was still mad that Nick let Penny kiss him. He didn't deserve to hold her hand especially when he was with another girl and he didn't even tell her! They must have been walking for about ten minutes and not once did Nick bring up the kiss.

'Stop getting so riled up Macy,' she thought to herself. 'Nick doesn't have to tell you anything because you're not really dating him. Duh!'

Macy needed to act normal so when she saw Penny, she greeted her happily.

"Hey Penny!" she said in her usual chirpy voice but then she looked at her enviously because while she dressed herself in loose fitting clothing, Penny took it upon herself to get noticed by the tight tank top and tight shorts that accentuated her curves. She looked at Nick and he definitely noticed her figure because he seemed to be blushing quite a bit. Macy had an urge to hit him in the back of the head but she didn't want to cause a scene.

"Hi Macy," she said quickly but then directed more of her attention to Nick and said. "I'm so glad you came. You just need to sign up over there and I have your bikes registered and everything."

"Okay thanks," Macy said answering for Nick as she gripped his hand tighter. Nick felt this and looked at her curiously but Macy ignored him. "Where's Jimmy?"

"Around, somewhere," Penny said in a less than happy voice. "I really don't know."

_That was odd. _But Macy didn't think much about it.

When they were done signing up, Penny gave them their bikes.

"No, that's Macy's bike and this is yours, Nick," Penny said as she switched their bikes.

"They look exactly the same," Nick pointed out.

"Yeah, it's just that you know, I need to follow protocol; besides Macy's bike is fit for a child since it's a bit smaller than yours," Penny pointed out.

Macy narrowed her eyes at Penny. _Did she just call me a child?_

Unlike Macy, Nick didn't notice the indirect insult Penny directed towards Macy. The bike-a-thon started and Nick kept a steady pace so that he was close to Penny and Macy as well. He could see Jimmy a little bit ahead of him. He wondered why he wasn't biking next to Penny.

"Macy!" Nick hissed at her when he noticed that she was lagging behind.

"What?" she yelled back. She was still new to the sensation of riding a bike, especially since they weren't exactly biking in smooth terrain.

"You need to pedal faster! We need to catch up with them," Nick answered back. He wanted to be near Penny but he didn't want to leave Macy behind.

"Okay, I'm trying my best," Macy said but she was struggling because her bike felt a bit weird for some reason.

"Well, try harder," Nick retorted.

He didn't see that Macy was glaring at him.

"Just go on without me," she answered. "You don't need to wait for me. Go to Penny, if you want. I don't care."

_But she really did care._

"I can't do that," Nick said but he really wanted to because Macy was really pulling him back. They were now way in the back of the pack.

"Come on, Mace, catch up with me," Nick said as he pedaled faster. He knew Macy was competitive so hopefully if he challenged her, she would take the bait and actually speed up. And for awhile it worked because now Macy was next to him on her bike as they continued pedaling through the highway. He could now see Penny and Jimmy ahead of them. Being a boy, Nick couldn't help but stare at Penny's back-side. Her outfit really did compliment her figure. She seemed to be really fit. He could feel himself blushing. Nick wasn't a boy who thought indecently about girls but he couldn't help it, not when Penny was flaunting her body like that. _I wonder how Macy would look like in that outfit,_ he thought. But he shook his head because now images of the petite brunette in tight-fitting clothes flooded his mind. He didn't need this right now. So he concentrated on the path ahead of him. The whole path wasn't all in asphalt pavement. They cut through a woody area and he was concerned that Macy might be having a hard time keeping up since she was new to bike riding. So he quickly looked behind him expecting to see her but she was nowhere to be found.

"Macy?" he called but he heard no response.

He looked ahead of him. Maybe she somehow surpassed him and was biking in front instead of behind him but she was nowhere to be seen. For some reason, he noticed that Jimmy was also nowhere to be found. Where could they be? Were they together? A sense of possessiveness overtook his whole body and he made his way to the edge of the pack so that he could stop and look for her…and him. He got on his bike again and this time pedaled in the opposite direction against the other riders.

"Macy!" he called as he biked through the area. "Macy!"

He was getting worried. _Where could she be?_

And then he saw her. She was no longer riding on her bike but instead was sitting on the ground _and Jimmy was crouching next to her._ What was going on?

"MACY!" Nick called her again to get her attention because _why was Jimmy there?_

She heard his voice and immediately looked over to find him biking towards her.

"What happened?" Nick asked her worriedly as he dropped his bike on the ground.

"I sorta fell," Macy said sheepishly. "I hit a rough patch and I lost control of my bike."

"Yeah, the path here is pretty uneven," Jimmy started to say.

"Why didn't you break?" he asked her while ignoring Jimmy.

"I tried but for some reason my bike wouldn't stop," Macy revealed. "I think the breaks are broken. But you didn't have to come back for me. You should continue the race, Nick."

"What are you saying? Of course, I had to come back for you," Nick said. _Why was Macy trying to get rid of him? Was it because she wanted to be alone with Jimmy?_

"It's okay, Nick. You can go," Macy insisted.

Nick narrowed his eyes at her.

"Well, we can go together," Nick said. "I'm here now. Come on, Mace, get up."

Macy looked at him and said somewhat shyly, "You see, I don't think I can continue. I kind of sprained my ankle. It hurts a little bit."

"Oh…" Nick said.

"Yeah, you should go ahead," Jimmy also insisted. "I tried calling for someone to drive her back but they said we need to go to the nearest check-point which is kind of back there in the highway so I'll take her."

"No, I'll take her," Nick raised his voice.

"It's okay, man," Jimmy said. "I can do it. It's no big deal. I know this path so I know where to go. She'll be in safe hands."

Nick didn't like how Jimmy wasn't backing down. _Who does he think he is?_

"She's my girlfriend," Nick said loudly. "I think it would be right if I took her."

Macy saw the scene unfold in front of her eyes. Were Nick and Jimmy having an argument…_about her?_ This was a little overwhelming but she was actually enjoying this. It's not everyday two boys fought for her. They were both staring each other down, not one of them seemed to budge.

But Jimmy knew he shouldn't argue with Nick. He knew that look he had in his eyes. It was a look of possessiveness. Jimmy was smart enough not to mess with a guy and his girl so he smiled and said, "Okay. Fine. I'll let the people at the finish line know what happened to you, Mace. And please call me when you're back safe and sound."

"Sure thing, Jim—

"She doesn't need to call you because she'll be fine since she's with me," Nick argued when he interrupted Macy.

He didn't like that Jimmy seemed to be so comfortable around Macy.

"Okaaay…well then, I'll see you," Jimmy said as he mounted his bike and pedaled away from them.

Nick turned to Macy and said, "Why didn't you call me when you got hurt?"

He crouched down next to her and looked at her ankle. It was a bit swollen but it didn't look that bad.

"I didn't want to worry you," Macy admitted. She tried to avoid his gaze because she knew she would start blushing again. "Besides why did you come back? You could've had alone time with Penny…"

She was right. He could have been with Penny but he didn't want that not when Macy was hurt.

"Are you crazy? Do you think I'll actually leave you behind and chase after her? What kind of guy do you think I am?" Nick asked her somewhat offended but then added in a calmer tone. "Besides, I'm supposed to be your boyfriend. I can't abandon you and start wooing another girl. How would that make me look?"

Macy smiled at him. He really was someone special.

"You said _wooing_," Macy laughed. "That's such an old-fashioned word but it fits you. Hahahahahaha."

"Shut up, Macy," Nick said playfully. It was amazing how Macy could be so playful even when hurt.

"Anyway, thanks, Nick, for coming back for me," Macy said. She could feel herself blushing.

"Your welcome…_Macy-bear_," he teased her. They both laughed when he called her that.

"So should we start heading back?" Nick asked her.

"Yeah," Macy said. "I hope you don't mind me leaning on you. I don't want to put any pressure on my ankle."

"Are you crazy, Macy? You know how long that'll take with you hopping on one leg?" Nick asked her incredulously. "Just climb on my back. I'll carry you."

Macy's eyes widened. She didn't expect him to offer her that option.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," Nick said as he knelt before her so that she can get on him. "Besides, you're small so it's not like you're going to break my back or anything."

"I'm not a child though," Macy said scornfully because she didn't like when people made fun of her size.

"I didn't say that," Nick assured her because he really wasn't making fun of her. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"Oh no, I'm sorry… I didn't mean that I thought you…um…sorry, Nick," Macy mumbled. She didn't know why she immediately thought Nick was picking on her. She climbed onto him and soon Nick was walking her all the way back into the highway. It felt nice. Macy tightened her arms around him as he carried her. He was so strong and because she was close enough, she was able to smell his hair. It smelled like shampoo. He smelled really clean. The hike back was pretty long but Nick and Macy filled their time together with countless stories. She never knew that Nick could be so funny. He was telling her a story about the shenanigans, he and his brothers got into during their last tour. And Macy couldn't help but laugh at all the right moments. Her laughter served as an incentive for Nick to talk more. He found himself relatively at ease with her because he could tell that she was genuinely enjoying what he had to say.

His voice was so soothing. She rested her head on his shoulder as he began another tale.

"And then it ended up that Frankie had it all along," Nick said as he concluded his story about the missing sock.

He expected Macy to give her input after the end of his story because she was doing that throughout their whole hike back to the check-point, which should be near now. But she wasn't saying anything. Instead, he heard her breathing slowly. He looked over his shoulder and found that she fell asleep. Nick smiled to himself. He concentrated on getting back. But then at one point he heard her mumbling something.

"What is it Macy?" he asked her quietly and when he looked back, her eyes were still closed but her mouth was moving and at that moment he distinctively heard her mumble his name.

"Nick…" she said in her sleep.

The boy could not help but blush. _Was Macy dreaming about him? _A tingly feeling came over his whole body and he almost let go of her but was quick to tighten his grip on her because his whole body seamed to have grown weak with each step he took. He only realized how close Macy's body was against his…_it felt nice._

_Crap._ The feeling he experienced when he was with her last time, returned but it felt like it intensified this time and there was no denying that the cause for this unexpected change was due to the sleeping girl on his back. It didn't help that the sun managed to peak out now so that when he looked at her again, she happened to have the perfect lighting and angle. _She really was beautiful._ Nick felt his heart racing. This couldn't be happening. He didn't like her…but he did…all the signs were there…there was no denying it anymore…

'_But what about Penny?' _He thought to himself and a voice inside of his head answered him. '_What about her? There's another girl you like now…'_

The next day, Nick was still struggling by the revelation he discovered yesterday.

_Did he really like Macy?_

He still tried to fight it but every time he did he couldn't stop thinking about being with her. He was happy that he had the whole house to himself. His parents and brothers took a field trip to New York to spend a day in Central Park but Nick opted out because he told them he was still tired from yesterday. This was a good time to sort out his thoughts on his own. He was sitting in the kitchen trying to finish his homework but images of Macy kept popping into his head.

The door bell rang and when he opened it, it was _her._

"Macy?" he said more glad than surprised.

"Hi, Nick," she said sheepishly as she carried a basket quite unsteadily in her hand since she was on crutches.

He noticed a cast on her foot.

"Here, let me get that for you," Nick offered as he took the basket from her. "How bad did you sprain your ankle?"

"Actually, it's not that bad," Macy answered him. "The doctor said it's only mildly sprained. I need to keep the cast on for only a few day…Anyway, my mom baked you cookies. It's like a thank you from both of us…for...um…taking care of me."

Nick smiled and looked at the basket. He could smell the mouth-watering aroma of the homemade cookies.

"Wow, thanks Macy," Nick said. "They smell delicious."

"I wish I could say I made them but my mom did and I told her you love chocolate so she made you chocolate fudge cookies," Macy said as she smiled at him.

"Oh that's my favorite!" Nick exclaimed. "You really know me, Mace."

"Y-yeah," Macy said while blushing

Nick looked at Macy and he noticed the reddish hue on her cheeks. He knew he had the same tint on his cheeks as well because it became customary now that when he was alone with Macy, he was compelled to blush profusely. And because he felt that tingly feeling again, Nick leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek and whispered, "Thanks, Macy."

He expected her to say something but when he looked at her, she had an odd expression on her face. It was like she was possessed.

What Nick didn't know was that Macy was staring at him because she _wanted him._ Oh god, she wanted Nick so badly. She stared at his lips—lips that moments ago were pressed against her cheek. They really looked soft. Since when did Nick have such soft looking lips. She wanted to feel them against her lips and because of this wish alone, she dropped her crutches and took his face in her hands and connected her lips with his.

_This was definitely not part of their plan._

_

* * *

_

**Closing Remarks:**

When I started writing this chapter I didn't expect it to be this long. It's my longest chapter to date with over 7000 words. WOW. Anyway what did you guys think? Can you guess what will happen next? How many of you actually think I'm going to let them get together right away? My loyal readers know the answer to that one. Hehehehehe... But then how are Nick and Macy going to excuse this kiss? Are they both fully comfortable in accepting their feelings for each other or is someone going to run away? And what about Jimmy and Penny? What was going on there? Hm...So many questions...LoL and I like how I always include Mr. Peterson and geometry in almost all of my stories.

And for any one of you wondering, Macy in this story is the Macy Misa from Jonas Season 1 because she had her natural dark brown hair. I actually prefer the look of Macy in JONAS than in JONAS LA because it was more natural looking rather than her blonde look. In fact, now that I think of it, in all of my stories, Macy is the Macy Misa from season 1. So there, I won't have to bring it up again. (However, in all of my stories, Nick is the Nick Lucas in Jonas LA because he is more mature and hotter looking. I swear that boy is aging quite nicely if I do say so myself. Haha)

REVIEW PLEASE! :-)

-Penelope36


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 The Kiss**

_His lips were really soft_, Macy thought as she pressed her lips against his. She wondered what kind of chap-stick he used because boys shouldn't have lips this smooth and tender. _It felt really nice._ She didn't realize how long it was when she first kissed him because she now felt him putting pressure against her lips as well.

Meanwhile, the moment Macy took his face in her hands, Nick's eyes went wide in shock when their lips made contact. It was so abrupt and unexpected but _he liked it._ Her lips were soft and well, that was what he expected since she was a girl and all. But then he realized that her lips tasted really fruity like that cherry lip balm she gave him that one time. It was like he was eating cherries and that's why he wanted to taste her some more so he kissed her back. They were getting really into it until they broke apart so that they could catch their breaths.

They were breathing heavily now but they never looked away from each other.

"You kissed me…" Nick finally said pointing out the obvious.

Macy was blushing because she was at a loss of words because she was the one who initiated it but then she realized something equally important.

"Yeah…But you kissed me back…" Macy replied.

They both continued to stare at each other, not knowing what to do.

_Should I confess? _Macy thought.

_Should I tell her? _Nick thought.

They were both blushing a lot. One of them needed to salvage what just happened. They could either take a step forward or a step back. _Who will cave in first? _And even though both of them wanted to say what they were really feeling, they also wanted to keep things the same between them.

"Why'd you kiss me, Macy?" Nick asked her. He needed to hear her say the words that he was too afraid to say to her. _Maybe if she said it first, I'll confess, too, _Nick thought.

However, Macy was too scared to tell him that _she likes him._ So instead of confronting her feelings, she did what she did best and pretended.

"You see…I kissed you…because –uh-…I think…we should…um…practice, YEAH! That's it. Practice! Since we're pretending to be a couple we need to practice kissing to be more believable as a couple…"Macy rambled on hoping that she was making sense at least. She hoped that Nick would buy this excuse but then she asked him. "That's…um… my reason but what's yours?"

She looked at him inquisitively.

Nick listened to what she just said and even though he was a bit disappointed, he was partially relieved that she chose to keep their relationship as it was because he was also afraid to take the leap to become something more with her.

"Well…um…I was also practicing, too," Nick lied. He laughed nervously because he hoped that Macy didn't suspect anything. He pretended that he was also dismissing their kiss as a vital part of their _plan._

"Oh okay. I see," Macy said somewhat disappointed. "So…"

She looked at him and wondered what he was thinking.

"So…" he repeated what she said last. He didn't know what they should do next.

"I should, um, go then," she started to say.

"No!" Nick said quickly. _What was he doing?_

"No?" Macy repeated somewhat excitedly. _What was Nick suggesting?_

"I mean, we should…um…practice some more to become, you know, more believable as boyfriend and girlfriend," Nick offered because he really wanted to taste her cherry-flavored lips again.

"YEAH! Okay," Macy said quickly. "We should totally practice!"

"Yeah totally," Nick said and this time he threw the basket of cookies on the floor and put an arm around her waist. He pulled her closer to him and this time he connected his lips with hers. There kiss deepened and at one point Macy realized Nick was pushing her back until her head hit the wall which caused her to open her mouth in surprise. And because her lips were still connected with his, once she parted them, Nick placed his tongue in her mouth. _He never did anything so bold before _but it felt like something inside of him woke up. They were no longer shy about showing their affection with each other because now Macy followed suit and let her tongue venture into his mouth as well. This was turning into one of those steamy, hot French kisses.

_Nick and Macy were really serious about practicing being boyfriend and girlfriend…_

They broke away so that they could both catch their breath once more. They stared at each other, not saying a word.

Macy looked up at him lovingly and gently stroked his cheek. She was ready to close the gap between them one more time.

"_Nick," _she whispered tenderly as she carefully tilted her head up some more.

"_Macy..." _Nick whispered back affectionately and he was about to dip his head closer to hers again for another kiss but then…

"AHEM!" someone said as she cleared her throat really loudly. "MACY? NICK?"

Both Nick and Macy stared wide-eyed at each other. They both looked over and there standing by the front door, which was left open, was none other than Stella Malone.

"_Am I interrupting something?"_ Stella said as she narrowed her eyes at both of them.

"Oh, hi, Stella!" Nick said nervously. He immediately took his arm away from Macy's waist. "We were just…uh…um…"

"I just came by to give Nick some cookies," Macy interrupted him. "And he was just…um…thanking me…for the kind gesture…right, Nick?"

"Y-yeah that's right…the kind gesture…I was-uh- showing her my…er…thanks," Nick said sheepishly but the two of them highly doubted that Stella would buy into their lie because they both stared at the basket of cookies that was now overturned on the ground. Many of the home-made chocolate fudge cookies lay broken on the patio, completely inedible now.

"But what are you doing here Stella?" Macy asked her quickly hoping to change the subject fast. She and Nick tried to straighten up their appearance thinking that this act alone could erase whatever the blond-haired girl just witnessed.

"I was just dropping off the new clothes for the boys," Stella said narrowing her eyes even more at them. Macy knew she was going to say something that would make the situation even more awkward than it was, but she interrupted her before she could say anything else.

"Well, I should go, Nick," Macy said loudly.

"Okay, sure," Nick said quickly. "Let me help you get those."

He picked up her crutches that were on the floor for her to grab and at one point, his hand brushed against hers causing them to feel that connection they experienced minutes ago.

"Bye, Nick," Macy said breathlessly as she stared at him. _She really wanted to kiss him again._

"Bye, Macy," Nick replied in the same manner as he continued looking at her. _He really wanted to embrace her once more._

They must have been staring at each other for a few seconds because Stella once again loudly cleared her throat to get them out of their trance.

"What are you guys doing!" Stella yelled at them furiously.

They both knew what she was referring to but they both decided to play dumb and so Macy replied, "Well, I have to go and help my mom out in the store."

"Yeah, and I need to finish my homework," Nick answered. He was still staring at Macy. "But thanks for the clothes, Stella."

He quickly took the shirts and pants Stella made for them and headed back inside.

Macy was out the front door and hurried, as fast as she could, to the bus stop. She really hoped that the bus would come soon because she really didn't want to explain anything to Stella right now.

"MACY!" Stella called after her. "MACY MISA! I WANT TO TALK TO YOU!"

Stella normally wouldn't have outrun the petite brunette, because she didn't have any athletic ability in her body whatsoever but because Macy was on crutches the blonde-haired girl easily crossed her path.

"Macy, stop!"

"Hey, Stella," Macy said nervously. "I'd love to stay and chat but I really need to go because my mom—

"Why on earth were you and Nick making out?" Stella asked her bluntly.

"Uh…um…we weren't making out," Macy scoffed at that idea. "We were just kissing but it was nothing, really."

_Like that correction would really make the situation even more sensible._

"Macy, you weren't just kissing him!" Stella replied exasperatingly. "If a boy and girl are sticking their tongues in each others' mouths, that's considered making out."

"It is? I mean, NO! We were just practicing…"

"Practicing what? How to make out with each other?" Stella asked her incredulously.

"No…um…you see…" Macy started to say. "We needed to practice on how to be more believable as a couple. You see, it's what actors call method-acting. You really need to feel the part. That's why Nick and I were kissing. No big deal."

"So what you're saying is that all of that was fake?"

"Exactly!"

Stella had an urge to literally shake some sense into her best friend but because Macy told her she sprained her ankle and that's why she was on crutches, she had to refrain from this sudden urge.

"Macy! You can't be serious! If all of that was pretend, then you and Nick should win an Academy Award or something because that definitely looked real," Stella said sarcastically. "You guys were really— and I mean _really— _getting into it."

Macy blushed because Stella was right. She wanted Nick. She really, really wanted him. If Stella didn't interrupt them, she was pretty sure that she would still be at the firehouse sucking face with him and who knows what else they could have been "practicing" after? That thought alone made Macy turn an even deeper shade of red. In a way, she was relieved Stella barged in on them at that moment. _She and Nick could have lost control of an already intense situation._

"Just tell me the truth, Macy," Stella said more calmly. "Do you like Nick?"

Macy bit her lip and looked at her best friend in the entire world. There shouldn't be any secrets between them and that was why Macy suddenly felt guilty because she didn't want to hide it any longer, especially from Stella. So Macy took a deep breath and looked into her eyes.

"Fine…I'll admit it, Stella…I think I'm starting to have feelings for him…" she said slowly.

"Then you should tell him instead of continuing with this stupid plan to pretend-date each other!" Stella cried out frustratingly.

"I want to but I'm scared…" Macy confessed. "I don't want to get hurt again."

"Macy—

"Please, Stella…don't tell anyone, okay?" Macy begged her. "I want to do this on my own time because I'm not ready to tell him how I feel just yet…"

Stella looked at her best friend. It really took a lot of guts for Macy to admit something like this so even though she was mad that it took Macy this long to realize this, she gave her a hug and said, "Fine, Macy. I won't tell anyone about this but promise me that you'll tell Nick eventually because I have a feeling he feels the same way about you, too."

"You think so?" Macy asked her hopefully.

"Oh, yeah! Are you kidding me!" Stella answered brightly. "We both know what kind of guy Nick is and he definitely wouldn't just stick his tongue in any girl's mouth. You should count yourself as one of the few if not the only girl he considers doing this to."

Macy blushed because Stella was right. Nick was far from being called a playboy so for him to have kissed her like that, there had to be another reason behind it. _Maybe he was afraid to confess too? _Macy thought to herself.

"Anyway let me give you a ride home since I drove here. But I want you to tell me everything! Like when you started feeling this way about Nick. Okay?" Stella said excitedly.

Macy smiled and nodded her head. She was really relieved to have her secret crush out in the open. And so they went to the nearby ice-cream parlor and Macy told Stella everything like the extended hand-holding during the double-date, the bicycle riding lesson in the park, and the fundraiser event when Nick carried her.

Meanwhile, Nick was left to ponder many things concerning what just happened between him and Macy. He kept replaying that scene over and over again in his head. He can't believe he was so bold to have made their kiss even more passionate than it initially was because Macy may have started it all, but he definitely kicked it up a notch. It was their first kiss after all…_yes, his first kiss with Macy Misa. _Nick could feel himself blushing just at the thought of it. _He really liked her. He really did._

It was dinner time and the rest of the Lucas clan came back from their trip in New York. All four Lucas boys and their mom and dad were having a nice dinner in their round table eating New York style pizza.

"Nick?" asked his little brother Frankie.

"Huh?"

"Why do you have that goofy grin on your face?" he asked him bluntly.

"What?" Nick replied as he tried to straighten his appearance. He was thinking about Macy ever since she came over and he didn't realize that it was affecting his behavior.

"It looks like Nick got hit with the Love-bug again," Kevin teased Nick.

"What happened? Did Penny kiss you or something?" Joe asked him boldly.

"Penny?" their mother repeated. "Is that the girl Nick has been obsessing over these past couple of weeks?"

"Yeah, the blonde-haired girl right?" his father now piped in.

"I saw her once," his mother said. "She's pretty cute. You should ask her out, son."

He wanted to say something but Kevin interrupted him.

"Oh, he tried but he can't because Nick keeps staring at her being speechless and all," Kevin answered. "It's quite funny when you see him lose his cool. Hahahaha."

"Yeah, he's like this," Joe said while doing a good imitation of a flustered Nick Lucas.

Nick couldn't believe they were having a conversation about him while he was still there! He wanted to say something but everyone was now talking at once about who the girl Nick was obviously thinking about but they got it all wrong because Nick Lucas was not thinking about Penny at all but Macy –the girl he just kissed earlier that day

"I'm not thinking about Penny!" Nick finally interjected. "It's just that something good happened today."

"Oh? And what's that honey?" his mother asked him. Everyone was looking curiously at him now.

Nick didn't want to give them the full details of how he made out with Macy. That wasn't proper table conversation anyway so he just said, "I discovered that I really, really like cherries."

"Cherries?" Joe repeated obviously confused by his statement.

"Yeah, cherries," Nick said again as he remembered Macy's lips which tasted just like the fruit and then he added quickly. "Do you mind if I excuse myself from the dinner table? I need to finish up some homework."

"Sure, sweetie, go ahead," his mother said.

Nick went up the stairs two at a time and pretended to pour over his textbooks but what he really wanted to do was talk to Macy again.

_What should I say?_ He thought to himself. He checked his phone because he wasn't even sure if he had her number. Scrolling through the contacts listed under the letter M, his face fell when he noticed that Macy's name wasn't even in there. _Crap. _But when he continued looking through his phone he realized that he stored her number under another name: _Psychotic Fan. _Nick winced when he realized what a jerk he was for labeling her under that title because clearly he no longer considered her to be this, judging by the way he kissed her that afternoon. He quickly erased _Psychotic Fan _and replaced it with Macy. He was tempted to put a heart next to her name but thought otherwise, just in case his brothers would manage to go through his phone, which they often did.

Without anything planned, he dialed her number.

_Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. _

_Come on, Macy, pick up, _Nick thought to himself. His heart began to beat rapidly and his palms began to sweat as he anticipated for her to answer his call.

"Nick?" Macy said quite surprised when she noticed his number on her phone. But she was secretly jumping for joy that he called her.

"Hey, Macy," Nick said. He was getting nervous. He really had nothing important to tell her. He just wanted to hear her voice.

"So…" was all she could say because she really had nothing to tell him. She just wanted to hear him speak.

"So…um what are you up to?"

"I'm just helping my mom cook dinner," Macy answered. "She's making her famous pasta, with her tomato and artichoke sauce. It's really tasty."

Nick wished he could eat that right now. Heck, he'd eat whatever Macy was eating.

"Oh wow. That sounds good…" Nick said. _He never realized how nice Macy's voice sounded like over the phone._

"So..um...what did you have for dinner?" Macy asked him shyly because that was all she could think of to ask him.

"Well, my parents brought home some pizza from New York," Nick replied. _He wanted to hear her voice some more._

"That sounds delicious," Macy commented while blushing because she just realized that Nick had such a manly sounding voice over the phone. "I wish I had some."

"I could, um, save you some, if you want," Nick said quickly. If Macy wanted pizza, he would get it for her in an instant. "And I can bring it over..."

"No, that's alright," Macy said while she laughed a bit because it was cute that Nick was willing to go out of his way to give her a left-over slice. "But thanks for offering."

"No problem," Nick said. He was blushing now too. He wanted to talk to her some more but he could hear her mother calling for her through the phone.

"Sorry, Nick but I have to go," Macy said regretfully because she really wanted to continue speaking to him. "But I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Y-yeah definitely."

"Bye, Nick."

"Bye."

Nick was sitting on his swiveling chair by his keyboard and when he turned around to get up he noticed Kevin and Joe standing behind him with highly amused smirks on their faces.

"What are those looks for?" Nick asked them as he tried to play it cool. He didn't want to give them anymore love-struck evidence but as he got up to go away from them Kevin put his hand on his shoulder.

"Who were you talking to, lil' bro?" Kevin asked. "Was it your secret girlfriend?"

"What? N-no. That's preposterous!" Nick said faking how absurd that notion was.

"Then why are you as red as a tomato?" Joe pointed out. "So who is she if she isn't Penny?"

"Can you just leave me alone, you guys!" Nick yelled at them. "I need to do some homework. Mr. Peterson, is already on the verge of giving me detention."

"Just tell us who she is, please?" Kevin asked him again as he pouted his lips and clasped his hands together as he playfully begged Nick to reveal his secret girlfriend. _His brothers can be so childish at times._

Joe wasn't really serious when he said what he said next.

"Well, who else could it be...hm...Wait hold up! Is it Macy?"

"WHAT! HAHAHAHA," exclaimed Nick while giving them his best fake laugh. "Psh… no it's not Macy. Are you kidding me? Hahahahahaha. Macy! That's a funny one! You crack me up, Joe."

His brothers looked at him suspiciously.

"Okay, well then why can't you tell us who you were talking to just now?" Joe pestered on.

"It's just one of my other classmates," Nick said curtly because he was getting frustrated with them. "You don't know her. But can you please just drop it? Sheesh."

Kevin and Joe could sense that he was getting irritated with them and they didn't want to get on Nick's bad side because well, it was pretty scary when he got mad.

The next day in school, Kevin was telling Joe and Nick one of his amusing stories but Nick wasn't really paying attention. He kept looking at the entrance waiting for _her _to arrive.

"And then I said no you take the donkey back to the zoo!" Kevin said to conclude his tale.

Joe shook his head and laughed. Even though Kevin was the oldest, he was just plain silly at times.

"Nick? Did you get it?" Kevin asked him because he was waiting for his reaction. But both of them noticed that he wasn't paying attention to them.

"What are you waiting for?" Joe asked him while giving him a nudge on his shoulder.

"Huh?" was all Nick could say.

"It's like you're waiting for someone." Joe answered.

"No, I was just…um…admiring the structure of the…uh…doorframes…"

"What—

"Oh, well I got to go!" Nick said quickly when he spotted Macy making her entrance into the school's corridor. He ran quickly to her.

"Hey Macy!" Nick said happily. He could feel his heart fluttering.

"Hi, Nick," Macy said as she smiled brightly at him. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. _She liked him…she really, really liked him._

"You want me to carry your bag for you," Nick offered since she was on crutches.

"Yeah, sure," Macy said as she felt her cheeks becoming red. "Th-thanks."

They walked to class together and throughout the rest of the day, she and Nick were being very _nice _to each other.

It was lunch time and Stella wanted to show Macy the new bag she made out of her old pair of jeans. It was pretty spectacular looking and she wanted to show Macy because like Stella, Macy actually enjoyed collecting bags. It was one of the few shopping items that they both liked to stock up on. She made her way to their usual lunch table but was disappointed to find that her best friend wasn't there.

"Hey, guys do you know where Macy is?" she asked Kevin and Joe since they were the only other occupants in their usual lunch table.

"Well, Nick said he and Macy needed to work on a project together," Kevin answered. "They must be around somewhere but I really don't know where in particular."

"Oh," Stella said while pouting her lips.

It was in one of the abandoned classrooms where the missing Lucas boy and the petite brunette occupied themselves. But they surely were not working in any project together because their books and bags were sprawled on the floor. Instead, Macy found herself pinned against the wall as Nick covered her mouth with his. They both decided that it was really necessary to skip lunch so that they could "practice" some more. And that's exactly what Nick and Macy told themselves when they decided to go make out in one of the empty classrooms.

"You lose," Nick said smiling.

"No, I didn't," Macy protested.

"Yeah, you did, Mace," Nick replied as his smile broadened. "You broke away first."

Because both of them were quite competitive, they decided to spice up their "practice sessions" by playing a game with each other in which the loser was the one who ended the kiss first.

"I had to because you bit my tongue, Nick!" Macy argued. _She didn't like to lose especially when her opponent wasn't playing fair._

"I did not!" Nick cried out indignantly but he really did and then he said rather playfully as he tightened his embrace around her. "Want to go again?"

"Of course," Macy replied as she brought his head down to meet hers. The sensation of having Nick's tongue in her mouth wasn't new anymore. In fact, it became such an integral part of their make-out sessions for them to engage in a little tongue-duel. They both heard the bell ring signaling the end of their lunch period but neither Nick nor Macy broke away from each other at first. In fact, it seemed as if Nick wasn't planning to end their "practice session" any time soon so reluctantly, Macy had to end their kiss once more.

"Ha! You lose again, Macy!" Nick announced.

"That's not fair!" Macy complained as she pouted her lips. "I had to! We needed to stop because we're going to be late for class, Nick!"

"Fine," Nick said somewhat disappointedly.

She could sense his distress and so she suggested, "Practice session after school?"

"Definitely," Nick answered as he planted a quick kiss on her lips. He helped her with her stuff and they noticed that the hallways were now flooded with students.

"Nick, there you are!" he heard Joe call him from afar.

"Oh, hey, Joe," Nick said nervously. Macy saw him too and they both didn't want to seem like anything happened between them so they tried not to stand too close to each other.

"Hey Mace," Joe greeted her.

"Hi, Joe," Macy said. "Well, um…I should go. I'll see you in class, Nick."

"Okay, bye Macy," Nick said quite depressed because he wanted to walk with her to class but his _stupid_ brother just had to interfere but he tried to contain his anger when he asked. "Any way what do you want, Joe?"

"Well, mom called a little while ago and she asked if you can pick up and baby-sit Frankie after school."

"Why can't you or Kev do it?"

"Kev has cheerleading practice and well, I have a date with Stella after school so can you do it, please?"

"Why can't you reschedule with Stella?"

"Because I already cancelled on her last weekend and she started using the silent treatment on me. Come on, Nick, I can't mess up again, please do it?" Joe begged him.

"Fine," Nick said as he let out a sigh of frustration because this meant no _practice session with Macy _after school_._

"Great! Thanks a lot bro," Joe said and he was about to leave him when he noticed something quite peculiar about Nick's appearance. "What's that red stuff on your lips?"

"Huh?" Nick said quickly as he brought his hand to wipe away any lip-gloss Macy must have worn today. Sure enough his hand had a red streak after he brushed it along his lips.

"Is that lip-gloss?" Joe asked him inquisitively.

"Uh…"

"Nick…" Joe started of to say suspiciously. "Were you kissing someone?"

"Uh…"

And then a light-bulbed turned on in Joe's head because he remembered seeing a certain brunette girl with him moments ago, and he asked him excitedly, "_Were you kissing Macy?"_

_"_Uh..."

"Nick! You so were!" his older brother exclaimed. "Oh my gosh! It all makes sense now! The weird love-struck behavior! The secret phone calls! And now skipping out on lunch to be with _Macy Misa!"_

Nick hit him behind the head and hissed at him, "Can you be any louder?"

"Okay, I'm sorry," Joe replied now in a whisper. "But it's Macy isn't it?"

Nick let out a big sigh because there really was no escape from this so he said in a very low whisper, "Yes, it's Macy but please don't make this into such a big deal."

"But it is!" Joe retorted. "Oh my gawd! Since when did you start hooking up with Macy? And speaking of which, what happened to your plan to win Penny's heart? I thought you liked her?"

"Well, you see, that really didn't work out. I mean Penny is a nice girl and all but being with Macy is a whole different story. She seems so different now and I like being with her…I mean I didn't intend it to happen. It just sort of did. We spent so much time together and one thing led to another so…yeah…"

"So are you guys together now?"

"That's the thing. I really don't know if Macy feels the same way about me like how I feel about her," Nick revealed solemnly. "We haven't really confessed or anything like that."

"Then why would she be making out with you if she didn't like you?" Joe asked him honestly.

"She said it was necessary practice for our plan to pretend-date," Nick said quite scornfully because he really hoped that Macy wasn't still trying to stick to the plan since he no longer was. His eyes narrowed when he realized something. Macy pretend-dated Joe, too… _did they have practice make-out sessions as well?_ No, Nick thought to himself. Because Joe was a kiss-and-tell kind of guy, he would totally admit it if he locked lips with the brunette girl. And he never said anything about kissing Macy. Besides, she was best friends with the girl Joe was completely in love with. He would never do something so low as to make out with her best friend. _Right?_

"Joe…" he said slowly. He didn't know why he was clenching his fist. "When you pretend-dated Macy, did you kiss her?"

"WHAT! Of course not!" Joe cried out in horror because the idea of even doing that with Macy, for him, was completely and utterly ridiculous.

"Okay good," Nick said now relieved that Joe didn't make out with Macy because it would have been just too weird for him to hook up with a girl that's been with his older brother.

"Besides, Macy can't be serious about this pretend stuff anymore," Joe continued. "She's probably too afraid to confess first. Most likely she's waiting for you to make the first move."

"You think so?"

"I know so," Joe said. "How do you think Stella and I got together? I had to practically spell it out to her that I like her."

"So you're saying I should confess to Macy that I like her and then she'll confess too?"

"Exactly," Joe replied. "Man up and profess your love to Ms. Macy Mis—OW!"

Joe exclaimed when Nick hit him behind the head again.

"Can you be any louder?" Nick said again while glaring at him.

"Sorry, Mr. Grumpy-pants," Joe said as he rubbed the back of his head.

The school day was almost ending and Macy had tennis practice after school. Normally, Macy loved being on the court. It was an all time high for her when she played tennis. She really was the star player of the school's varsity tennis team. Coach Martin put a lot of time and effort to shape up the other girls in the team so that they could play at Macy's level. However, today what Macy wanted more than anything was for the clock to hit 4:30 because she wanted to go meet Nick and be in his warm embrace once again. She was in the court stretching when she heard the voice she wanted to hear call her name.

"MACY!" Nick called from the sidelines. She hurriedly rushed over to meet him_._

"Hey Nick," she said happily. She tried to look into his eyes but she couldn't help but stare at his lips-_lips she wanted to kiss so badly._

"Bad news," Nick said sadly. "We can't have our _practice session_ after school. My mom wants me to baby-sit Frankie."

"Oh man, really?" Macy said evidently upset by this news.

He noticed that his news saddened her so he quickly added, "But I was wondering if you wanted to, um, go to dinner tomorrow night. Just the two of us?"

"Oh wow," was all Macy could say. _Was Nick asking her out?_ "Sure I'd love to. But what's the occasion?"

Nick could feel himself blushing. He wasn't going to tell her right then and there so all he said was "I have something important to tell you."

"What is it? Are you going to tell me you're no longer a Yankees fan?" Macy joked.

"As if!" Nick retorted but then he took her hands into his and said. "It's something bigger."

"Oh okay, then yes, I'd love to have dinner with you Mr. Lucas," Macy said happily. _What could this be about?_

"Great," Nick said as he placed a kiss on her cheek.

"HEY! MS. MISA STOP FLIRTING OVER THERE WITH MR. LUCAS AND DO YOUR WARM UPS!" yelled Coach Martin from across the court.

This made the two of them blush even more because when they looked over they both noticed that now everyone was looking at them.

"Sorry, Nick but I have to go," Macy said but she really didn't want to part ways with Nick.

"Yeah, you should go practice," Nick said. "But tomorrow, I'll pick you up at 7?"

"Sounds good, Nicky-boo," Macy said humorously.

Nick shook his head while smiling. _Macy really was something else. _Somehow, this time he didn't mind when Macy called him that because that was her personal nickname she had for him. _No one else but Macy called him that. _He liked that.

Macy was known for her strong backhand but today it seemed that Penny Madison was challenging her status because she was hurling shots at her at almost 80 mph.

"Wow, Ms. Madison! I didn't know you possessed such great strength in you!" Coach Martin marveled at the usually dainty Penny Madison. "Keep it up!"

"Thanks coach," Penny answered but she was still glaring at Macy from across the court.

However, Macy didn't notice anything amiss because she was completely and hopelessly in love with Nick Lucas that nothing else even mattered. Since she had a good work-out today, Macy decided to hit the showers and take her time. She wasn't going to see Nick after school so she was in no rush. But she kept thinking of what it was Nick wanted to tell her tomorrow night. _Was he going to tell her he likes her?_ She hoped to God that was the news he wanted to say because Macy would literally jump up for joy and profess her love for Nicholas Lucas as well.

She was making her way to the lockers after she finished drying her hair but she paused when she heard someone sniffling in the locker room. The person seemed to be crying really hard because she wasn't quiet about it. The noise coming out of her mouth was truly heart-breaking. The girl, Macy could hear, was sobbing so much it sounded like she was choking. She hurried over and saw that the girl in great distress was none other than the beautiful blonde-hair blue-eyed girl.

"Penny! Oh my gawd! Are you okay?" Macy asked her as she ran over and put an arm around her.

But she was surprised when Penny moved away from her and yelled, "Don't you dare touch me!"

"Penny what on earth—

"_Oh don't Penny me_," she yelled at her now enraged. "You're the last person I want to see right now."

_What was going on? _Macy thought. Why was Penny mad at her?

"I'm sorry Penny but I don't get why you're so angry with me," Macy said honestly. "I am only trying to help."

"You were _trying to help?" _she repeated disbelievingly. "Stop this whole innocent-girl act, Macy. Maybe everyone else will buy it but I sure don't! You know what you did, you little witch!"

"No, Penny, honestly I don't," Macy said earnestly. She didn't let her name calling get to her because this whole conversation was really strange.

"You took him away from me, Macy!" Penny said angrily. "Don't tell me this wasn't part of your plan because I could see right through your act. You're not fooling me."

Macy gulped because she now understood. _This was about Nick._ But how did Penny know about their plan, a plan she admit she was no longer following?

"How... could you...do this?...You took…him…away…from me," Penny said in between sobs. She put her head in her hands as she continued to weep openly.

"Penny…I…um…" Macy was at a lost of words. "I don't know what to say."

"There's absolutely nothing you can say to fix the situation!" Penny yelled at her furiously. "You have him in the palm of your hand now. Why don't you just go run along to him!"

"Penny, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—

"Please, Macy I don't want your apology because I don't think I can EVER forgive you," Penny answered as she got up. She walked over to her and said, "But are you really admitting that you like him too?"

Macy wasn't sure what Penny was going to do to her but she truthfully answered how she felt about Nick.

Macy looked away from her when she said, "Yeah…I like him too…"

"I can't believe this!" Penny cried out incredulously. "You two are the most manipulative people I've ever met! You're perfect for each other."

She sat back down and continued to cry intensely.

"Penny, I'm really sorry but I didn't mean for it to happen—

"SHUT UP! DIDN'T I TELL YOU I DON'T WANT YOUR APOLOGY?" Penny yelled at her now consumed in complete rage. "Just please leave me alone! I'm begging you, please... just go."

Macy was afraid of what she might do to her so she rushed out of the locker room but she didn't get far because she remembered that look Penny had on her face…it was the same look she had when her ex-boyfriend Tyler left her for her former best friend. It was so heartbreaking to see Penny like that. Then she realized something much to her dismay. You see, if she analyzed the situation correctly, it was she, not Nick, who was just like her ex-boyfriend because she was the one who didn't realize that her actions could hurt another person. She was being selfish because she only cared for her own happiness. And that's why Macy felt so horrible to have caused Penny so much pain. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair at all…_She needed to fix this...but how?_

_

* * *

_**Closing Remarks:**

I initially wanted to write two more chapters (including this one) to wrap up the story, but I decided to cut one chapter in half because this was already long as it is and I didn't want to write a very, very long chapter. This is already 7000+ words AGAIN! My goodness! So expect probably 2 more chapters and an epilogue. The epilogue is already written up so I need to concentrate on finishing the final two chapters. Hopefully, I'll have it done in a week or two. But please be patient with me if I need more time since I have a lot of exams coming up. Yes, reality is finally taking its toll on me.

Anyway, what do you think will happen next? I think it's pretty obvious what Nick wants to tell Macy. But how will she react especially after her encounter with Penny? Whoever can guess what will happen next will get a shout out at the end of the next chapter! (Hm...but is this really an incentive, though?)

Speaking of which...

Shout out to one of my reviewers , _speedtexter_, for totally guessing that I plan on using Stella to interrupt Nick and Macy's steamy kiss.

Oh the drama, drama, drama...you gotta love it though!

REVIEW. THANKS! :-)

-Penelope36


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 The Big Date and Big Misunderstandings**

Nick was pacing back and forth in his room as he organized together what he wanted to say to Macy that night. It was pretty momentous because it's not every day Nick Lucas professed his love to a girl. And she wasn't just _any girl._ It was Macy Misa for crying out loud— the girl who weeks ago Nick would never have thought of liking in a million years. They were complete opposites. They had nothing in common whatsoever. She was nothing more than _a psychotic JONAS _fan to him but all of that changed recently because Nick could only think about wonderful things for the particular girl. She somehow wedged herself into his life and by the looks of it, she seemed to have etched a permanent spot in his heart since all Nick wanted to do was hold her in his warm embrace. He was, without any exaggeration, deeply infatuated with Macy Misa. She was almost like a puzzle to him because despite the fact that she was a crazy fan to him weeks before, the few weeks they shared together proved that she was strong minded, determined, very caring, and so much more. Even though, they initially started hanging out so that he could win Penny's heart, the truth was that Nick wanted to have Macy's heart all to himself and tonight was the night when he wanted to express this desire to the said girl. He smiled to himself as he thought about how beautiful their relationship towards each other evolved. _It was truly unexpected _but it was definitely a pleasant surprise.

Nick was so nervous to the point that he didn't realize that he gained himself an audience as he tried to memorize the speech he planned on saying to Macy before he confessed his true feelings. He was so absorbed in looking over the piece of paper which carried his declaration of love to Macy that Joe's and Kevin's presence went unnoticed for quite awhile.

"_Well, well, well_," Kevin said finally as he walked up to him and put his arm around his shoulder in a brotherly fashion. "Word on the street is that tonight is a big night for you lil' bro. Are you ready to confess you feelings to Macy Misa?"

"Kev, can you leave me alone," Nick said exasperatingly. "I'm already a wreck as it is!"

Kevin let go of him but seemed hurt and so he said, "Why is it that I'm always left out of the loop when it comes to your love-life?"

"Because if I told you," Nick started to say in a mildly irritated voice. "You would've already done the confessing for me!"

"That's not true!" Kevin retorted. "I can keep a secret!"

"Okaay, like we believe you!" Joe now jumped in. "Remember that surprise party we planned for mom? Who's fault was it that none of us got to see her initial reaction because one of us decided to let it slip during dinner that we were going to take her to that French restaurant in the city?"

"Well, I didn't know we weren't supposed to tell her where we were going! Besides wasn't the real surprise the fact her brothers and sisters were coming all the way from Ohio?" Kevin pointed out.

"Yeah, but you also let that one slip out during dessert," Frankie answered as he entered his older brother's room. "Anyway, what are we arguing about? And why are you all dressed up Nick?"

"Well, Frankie, believe it or not, Nick has a big date tonight," Joe said excitedly.

"Oh, with that Penny girl?" Frankie asked inquisitively.

"No, no, no," Joe said with an amused expression on his face. "You see, your brother Nick is quite a playboy because he already moved on to another girl—

"JOSEPH!" Nick said harshly because he didn't like being called a playboy.

"Remember Stella's friend?" Joe asked him with a huge grin on his face as he ignored all of Nick's attempts to silence him.

"Oh yeah," Frankie said and then sighed quite dreamily as he said. "_Macy…"_

"Well, that's the girl Nick is now gaga over," Kevin piped in.

"You're going out with Macy!" Frankie exclaimed defensively. "You can't do that!"

All three brothers stared curiously at the eight-year-old boy.

"And why not?" Nick asked him questioningly as he finished tying his tie.

"Because I called dibs on her!" Frankie answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"_WHAAAT!" _all three boys exclaimed simultaneously.

"You all know I have a crush on her," Frankie said as looked at all three of them.

"You do?" all three of them said again. _Since when did Frankie have a crush on Macy?_

"Yeah, remember that time she baby-sat for me and I told you she said I was cute?" Frankie said.

"Oh yeah…" the three of them said as they now remembered that minor detail.

"But you never told us you liked her," Nick pointed out and then said reprimandingly. "Besides, Frankie it's not polite to say you call dibs on a girl. You only say that for stuff like food not human beings."

"Whatever, Nick," Frankie said heatedly. "She said she liked my free spirit."

Nick rolled his eyes but smiled to himself because that was such a Macy thing to say.

"I hate to break it to you, bro," Kevin said as he put a comforting arm around the eight-year-old boy. "She may like your free spirit but she sure loves Nick's lips since they're constantly making out _all the time_."

"THEY ARE?" Frankie cried out in horror.

"KEVIN!" both Nick and Joe yelled at their oldest brother. _He really had no discretion whatsoever._

"Oops! Yup, you're right. I guess I can't keep a secret," Kevin said sheepishly but then exclaimed excitedly to the distraught young boy. "Hey Frankie! Why don't we go out for some ice cream?"

"No, I need to stay here and put an end to this!" Frankie yelled dramatically. "I can't let Nick take away the love of my life!"

Nick was about to say something but Kevin interrupted him and said, "Don't worry you guys! I got this. Hey Frankie why don't I buy you that video game you've been dying to get for your Playstation?"

"OKAY!" Frankie exclaimed in a completely different tone. For the youngest Lucas boy video games will always earn a top spot in his heart even before his self-proclaimed love-of-his-life.

When the two of them were gone, Nick continued preparing for the big night while Joe patiently watched him.

"Can this night be even more stressful?" Nick said as he changed out of his shirt to try another one. "I'm not even on my date yet and I already upset someone."

"Don't worry about Frankie," Joe laughed. "It's nothing but a school-boy crush."

"Yeah, but I don't like having Frankie mad at me," Nick said. "We never fight and now I'm going to have this in my conscience now."

"Nick! You need to relax," Joe said as he stood up and walked over to him. "You need to think about Macy especially since you're planning on confessing your feelings to her."

Nick sighed and admitted, "You're right, Joe. Tonight's suppose to be about Macy."

"That's right. And don't be so tense!" Joe said. "Besides, what is this paper you were looking at before?"

Joe quickly got the piece of paper Nick stuffed in his back pocket.

"GIVE THAT BACK!" Nick said as he now ran after Joe around his room.

"Macy," Joe began to read. "Before these past two weeks, I never could have imagined feeling what I feel when I'm with you. You've open the door to—

"JOSEPH! GIVE THAT BACK!" Nick yelled but Joe kept reading.

"—emotions that I never knew I could possess," Joe said but he couldn't help but laugh at that line. "When I'm with you I feel like a different person. Because of you, I've learned how to love—

"JOSEPH LUCAS I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON'T GIVE THAT BACK I'M GOING TO TELL MOM WHAT YOU AND STELLA WE'RE DOING IN THE BACKSEAT OF YOUR CAR!" Nick threatened.

That did the trick because Joe immediately returned the piece of paper to Nick.

"Geez, no need to stoop that low," Joe answered. "Besides, why did you type up a speech?"

"Because how else am I going to express my feelings," Nick said. "I need to organize it beforehand so that I won't mess up."

Joe chuckled because Nick really was the type of guy to plan every word out before confessing his love to a girl.

"Nick, you can't do that."

"Why not?" Nick asked him.

"Because it will seem unnatural," Joe pointed out. "She's going to know that what you're saying is not coming straight from your heart. And girls love it when you speak openly and genuinely. Macy at least deserves that much."

Nick sighed because Joe actually did have a point. If there was one thing Joe was better at than Nick it was how to win a girl's heart correctly.

"Fine…but what should I say? I can't just flat out say: Macy I like you. Let's go steady," Nick said.

"You should talk about things she likes," Joe said. "Make her feel at ease."

"Hm…She likes sports but she's a Red Sox fan so I don't want to talk about baseball because we'll end up arguing about who's the better team.," Nick said. "But she does like jokes."

"Jokes?"

"Yeah, actually I was going to ask you if you can give me some…um…material," Nick said. "I mean you got to have some corny jokes you haven't used yet, right?"

"Corny! Way to insult someone you're asking a favor from!" Joe retorted. "Anyway, if you don't want to talk about things she likes, then you should tell her why you like her. You can practice right now and tell me exactly why you like Macy Misa. But make it all come from your heart and not from some piece of paper."

Nick sighed once again but it was because there were so many things he could say.

"Well first of all, Macy's the most self-less person I know. She went out of her way to help me win Penny's heart. I mean who does that? She really wanted to see me succeed and be happy even if she had nothing to gain from it. And she's so down to earth. She isn't fake like other girls and she isn't afraid to just be herself. And she has this confidence about her that I really admire. She always speaks her mind. She isn't frail or fragile and she doesn't need to wear any make-up or put her hair up in a ridiculous hairstyle yet she's still unbelievably beautiful. And she's so strong and focused. Like when I taught her how to ride a bike, even though she fell a couple of times she got back up right away and was determined to learn. She really has a fighter spirit in her. And her voice—

"OKAY! I get the picture," Joe said as he interrupted the Macy-centric trance Nick was just in.

"Sorry I got carried away," Nick said sheepishly.

"No it's fine but that's it," Joe simply said.

"What's it?"

"That's exactly what you need to tell her before you confess."

"Really?" Nick said excitedly as he headed to his desk for a pen and paper. "Do you remember what I just said? I need to write it down."

"NICK!" Joe said as he snatched away the pen and pad of paper Nick held in his hand. "Just be yourself and say whatever comes to you. Believe me; you can't mess up."

"I don't know about that," Nick said quietly because he never felt this nervous before. Sure, he experienced anxiety when he was next to girls he had crushes on like Penny but now it was completely different. Because the feelings he now had for Macy was much stronger since he didn't like her just for her looks and personality. He liked how she made him feel every time he was with her. _She was his better half._ Now that he thought about it, it was really remarkable how he was so calm, cool, and collective with her before because right now Nick was a mess. He didn't know what shirt to wear. He didn't know how he should confess. And most of all he didn't know if Macy felt the same way about him.

"Just speak from your heart," Joe repeated. "What's the worse that could happen?"

"She can reject me…" Nick said solemnly.

"Nick, trust me," Joe said as he put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She's not going to turn you down. I see the way she looks at you like you're some piece of meat. And I swear to god there were times when I thought she was going to jump you in public."

Nick blushed because if that was the case then Macy wasn't the only one. Nick chuckled because Joe was right again. He could tell Macy wanted him as much as he wanted her.

"You're right, Joe," Nick said with more confidence now. "There's nothing to worry about."

Because Nick was so nervous about the big night, he didn't realize that Macy had been acting weird around him all day. She kept playing that whole interaction she had with Penny in her head. She was so sad…it was so heartbreaking. Penny must really like Nick and Macy didn't realize this until it was brought to her attention because for the past few days, all she could think about was Nick Lucas.

Macy didn't mean for it to happen. It just did. It really wasn't her plan to fall in love with Nick. In fact, both of them didn't even foresee this outcome and if she remembered right, they both laughed at the idea of ever falling in love with each other because they knew that would never happen in a million years. But it did and now Macy felt guilty because she wronged Penny and in a way she wronged Nick. _Did Nick think Macy had some hidden agenda when she offered her assistance?_ Oh god, she hoped not because that would be really awful. _She didn't trick him… did she?_ Now she thought about that kiss…that kiss that started it all. If she hadn't done that she wouldn't be in this situation to begin with because now she felt guilty for forcing herself on Nick…_That was her problem…_She has the tendency to act so rashly.

She closed her eyes because she wanted to erase memories of a scenario that happened to her four years ago in junior high. She was afraid that this situation was becoming very similar to the one with her first boyfriend, Tyler Dentler, who wasn't afraid to use someone for selfish reasons.

* * *

_Four Years Ago_

"_Emily! Emily!" yelled a thirteen- year-old Macy. "You'll never guess what happened!"_

"_What?" her friend said in a bored manner. Macy was always way too chirpy throughout the day._

"_Tyler Dentler asked me out!" Macy yelled happily. "And you said I could never get a boyfriend! Well, there you go! IN YOUR FACE!"_

"_Tyler Dentler asked you out?" Emily said in a peculiar voice. "The jock, Tyler Dentler?"_

"_Yup, the one and only," Macy said dreamingly. "He must have known I had the biggest crush on him since third grade and now he realized that he felt the same way!"_

"_Hm…It's kind of odd though," Emily said._

"_What's odd?"_

"_I mean we've known Tyler since grammar school and he doesn't really associate with anyone not in his clique."_

"_Yeah, I did think about that too but maybe he changed," Macy said. "Besides didn't we say once we're in junior high we're going to try to actually fit in and who knows maybe I can start hanging out with his friends and then maybe I'll be voted most popular—_

"_MACY!" Emily yelled at her. "You're jumping way ahead. Besides, it's kind of fishy that he just suddenly asked you out of the blue."_

"_Maybe it's not sudden. Maybe he noticed that I'm actually more mature now," Macy said as she tried to tighten her shirt to show her friend that she was starting to have cleavage and be more womanly. But Emily gave her a smirk because Macy was still as flat chested as the day she was born._

"_Macy, that can't be it," Emily said bluntly. "Besides you have no goods to show."_

"_Hmph," Macy pouted. "Whatever. Just because I didn't jump two cup sizes like you during the summer doesn't mean I'm still a child. I'm quite mature myself. Maybe not in the body department but I have deep thoughts! Maybe Tyler likes deep thinkers! He's not so superficial. Besides this could be a gateway for me and you to actually make our mark in school. We can be one of the popular kids, Em!"_

"_Macy, I don't care about that…"_

"_Whatever, Em! Don't say you're not trying to fit in," Macy said tersely. "Otherwise you wouldn't be constantly trying to apply lip-gloss and mascara on your face."_

"_Wearing a little make-up doesn't mean I'm trying to become popular," Emily said hesitantly but Macy knew she was lying._

_However, the petite brunette knew she shouldn't be picking on her because she just realized that she was the one with the guy and Emily was still single. This made her feel guilty so she said, "Don't worry, Em. There'll be a guy who is waiting to ask you out. It'll just be a matter of time."_

"_Shut up," Emily said gloomily._

"_Be optimistic! Don't worry I'll find you the perfect guy," Macy answered encouragingly because she really didn't think Emily would have a hard time finding a boyfriend. If she was really honest with herself, Macy was the one who was jealous of her because Emily was so lucky that puberty was treating her nicely. She was no longer an odd duckling since she was growing up to become a beautiful young lady. Heck, Macy was surprised Emily wasn't the one sharing news of having a boyfriend before her._

_But little did she know that the tables would turn on her…_

_

* * *

_

Macy didn't want to think about it. She was at home trying to get ready for the big date. _Maybe Nick wasn't going to confess?_ Also, she didn't intentionally hurt Penny because everything between her and Nick was unexpected. She didn't want to fall in love with him in the first place…right?

It was 6:50 and Macy heard the doorbell ring. She was so excited to be with Nick but she felt conflicted because it was still fresh in her mind how hurt Penny looked like in the locker room. But Macy didn't owe anything to Penny. Besides, didn't she still have Jimmy to turn to?

_Come on, _Macy thought to herself. _This is not like the whole Tyler thing because I'm not that heartless. Besides this is a dinner between friends…Yup, Nick and I are just friends._

She rushed down and saw that Nick looked quite dashing in dress pants and a casual coat and tie. When Macy heard that Nick got them reservations in Belle's Bistro, the fancy and authentic French cuisine downtown, Macy was really impressed that a seventeen year old boy could even get into a place like that since it was usually packed every night. But she forgot that Nick is not just any other boy. He's an international superstar so of course making dinner reservations in a fancy place was no hurdle for him.

"Wow, you look nice," Nick said as he stared at Macy, who wore the only fancy cocktail dress she owned, which was a strapless form fitting black dress. _She was so beautiful. _

"You don't look so bad yourself," Macy said with a charming smile. The moment she saw Nick she successfully put to rest any thoughts about Penny. "Okay, Mom. We're going to head out. I'll be back before ten!"

"Hold on!" Mrs. Macy said as she hurried down the stairs. "I need to take one picture!"

"Mom!"

"Macy, it's not every day my daughter gets to go out with a rock star," her mother said excitedly. "Stand over there with Nick and let me get a picture. I'm going to send this out to all our relatives."

Macy turned to Nick and whispered, "Sorry about this."

"No, it's cool," Nick said and he took Macy's hand and posed for what should have been one photo but ended up being almost twenty shots.

The moment they were in his car, Nick turned towards her and gave her a quick peck on the lips before starting the car.

"I missed you," Nick said.

"What?"

"I just realized we didn't get to see each other that much in school today," Nick said as he kept his eyes up-front at the road in which he was driving in. He could feel his heart beating so fast in his chest. "We didn't have our usual _practice session_."

"Oh that…um…well," Macy said. "I was just really busy today."

She had to close her eyes for a second because images of Penny's crying face suddenly returned. That was the real reason she felt uncomfortable being around Nick during school. The wounded girl's face was fresh in her memory.

"Well, in that case I'm glad you were able to pencil me in your hectic schedule," Nick teased.

"Nick, stop it," Macy replied but then added jokingly. "Besides I penciled in you way before so it's not like you're wasting my valuable time."

"Me? Wasting your valuable time!" Nick scoffed at that idea. "How about my valuable time? You should count yourself lucky, Mace. You know how many girls would die to be in your position right now?"

"What! Me? Lucky? Are you some sort of prince charming, Nick?" Macy fired back. "Someone's obviously got a big ego."

"Big ego! Like you're the one to talk saying you have valuable time doing other things!"

And just like that Nick and Macy got into their usual arguments centered on who was more conceited but it was only playful banter. However, Nick was glad that they were able to still be so candid with each other because unbeknownst to Macy, he was so nervous about what he planned to say to her tonight.

When they reached Belle's Bistro, Macy couldn't help but marvel at the exquisiteness of the restaurant's architecture. It was like they were transported to Europe.

"Wow, look at the ceiling," Macy said as she stared up. The ceilings were painted in a style very similar to the one in the Sistine chapel. But Nick didn't follow her gaze. Instead, he was too busy staring at Macy because she was so _pretty. _He didn't know when was the right time to confess to her but his mouth was getting dry so he kept drinking the glass of water that was next to him.

"I'm glad you like this place," Nick said as he cleared his throat. He had the urge to loosen his tie because it was getting really hot inside. The restaurant must use halogen lights or something because the temperature seemed to sky rocket.

"Are you kidding? I never ate in a place this fancy," Macy said excitedly and she finally looked over at Nick who seemed to be really thirsty since he was gulping down his glass of water. "Thanks for taking me here."

"No –ahem- problem."

"So tell me," Macy started of saying. "How many girls have you taken here? Two? Four?"

"What?" Nick said quite surprised but then he admitted really nervously. "You're…um…the first girl I took here."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks," Macy said as she felt herself blushing profusely.

"Macy, I—

But at that moment when Nick mustered up the courage to say how he felt about her, their waiter came to give them their menus. So the two of them remained quiet for awhile as they poured over the list of dishes they could get.

"Nick?" Macy said as she continued looking at the menu. "I think they made a mistake with the menu."

"Huh?" Nick said as he now looked at his menu closely. _But he didn't see any mistakes._

"They didn't list the prices!" Macy pointed out. "How am I supposed to know if the lobster dish cost more than the steak?"

_She was so cute_. Nick smiled at her and said, "Um, Mace, they didn't make a mistake. You see the diners here don't really have an issue with how much the food cost."

"Ohhhh," Macy said slowly because she understood what Nick meant. She felt embarrassed because she should have known that was the reason why the menu omitted the prices. She looked around and saw that everyone was dressed so nicely and _expensively. _They looked so rich. Suddenly, Macy felt out of place.

Nick could sense that Macy was embarrassed so he reached over and put his hand over hers.

"It's okay," Nick said. "I didn't know that until recently, too. I don't often eat in places like this."

Macy stared at him skeptically but she appreciated his attempt to make her feel better.

"So…Macy…about the thing I wanted to tell you—

"Hey Nick did you see that statue over there?" Macy interrupted him.

She had a feeling what he wanted to say would be something she wasn't ready to hear just yet especially now that she knew how Penny felt. And more than anything she didn't want to think about the blonde-haired girl right now.

"What?"

"I could have sworn it just moved," Macy said quickly. And sure enough when she looked at it again she saw the marble statue wave at her.

"Oh really?" Nick said less enthusiastically as he looked over his shoulder. He really didn't care for moving statues right now. "Anyway, Mace, I wanted to let you know—

"Wow, I really need to go to the bathroom," Macy interrupted him once again. "Will you excuse me?"

Nick leaned back in his chair while sighing and said, "Sure go ahead."

And throughout the night when Nick wanted to confess, Macy happened to always interrupt him just when he was about to finish his sentence.

Of course, Macy was doing it on purpose. As much as she wanted to hear Nick say the words he wanted to say, Macy knew she wouldn't be able to take it because images of Penny crying and memories of a distant past kept coming back to her. So instead of giving him a chance to say anything more, Macy did what she did best when she was nervous: she talked A LOT.

"And then my brother dared me to do a back flip while attempting to make a basket and you know me, I can't back down on a challenge," Macy continued telling Nick her story. "So I did it and what do you know! I made the basket in the middle of making a handstand. People don't call my Mighty-Macy-Misa-sports-girl-extraordinaire for nothing!"

"Wow, that's some story Mace," Nick said politely but he was getting a little restless because they had been eating for an hour now and he wasn't able to get a word in edgewise. He thought Macy would take a breather and let him speak for once but no, that girl had an unstoppable mouth because she began another tale that lasted until they were already in the car.

"And then I said to Stella you go into the elevator first but she was like no I can't do that but then I was like—

But Nick didn't let her finish because he desperately wanted her to stop talking so he could confess his feelings to her. So at that moment when he shut off the engine and parked a couple spaces away from her house, he turned towards Macy and put a hand on her shoulder to make her face him and gave her a long kiss. He knew this would shut her up so he kept his mouth over hers for quite awhile because he wanted to appreciate the much needed silence before he attempted to speak.

Because his kiss was so sudden Macy was left speechless. Thus, Nick broke away from her with a huge grin on his face and said, "I thought that would shut you up for a bit."

Macy could feel her cheeks burning because his kiss did shut her up. _He was such a good kisser._

"Look, Mace, the reason why I took you out tonight was because there's something I need to get off my chest," Nick confessed.

Macy gulped because she knew what was coming.

"You see…I…uh…want to talk to you about my feelings…"Nick began to say. His heart began to race and he could feel his palms sweating but he continued speaking because this was really important. "Macy, there was a time when I had a whole different perspective about you…to be honest I never wanted to become this close with you because well, you were pretty intense for my liking…but now—

"Nick please don't—

"No, Macy let me finish," Nick said. "What I'm trying to say is that being with you for these past few weeks made me see you in a whole different light. You're still Macy Misa to me but you're also more…if that makes any sense. Because just recently I realized you're not like other girls and even though I didn't notice it before I—

"Nick—

"Please, Mace, I need to tell you this."

But Macy could hear Penny's words ringing in her ears: _You took him away from me. How could you?_

"What I'm trying to say is…" Nick continued hesitantly.

_You took him away from me…_

"This is not part of the plan," Macy interrupted him loudly.

_You took him away from me…_

"What?" Nick said quite perplexed by her sudden outburst.

"Nick I –uh- can't do this anymore," she replied. She was trying to catch her breath because she couldn't help but remember Penny's face that fateful afternoon.

'_You took him away from me' _was all she could hear ringing through her ears.

"_What_?" Nick said clearly devastated by what she was saying.

"I have to go," she said and she quickly opened the door of his car and ran down the block to her house. She could hear Nick calling after her but she didn't want to look back because there were tears in her eyes. _This was not supposed to happen. _

'_You took him away from me. How could you?' _said Penny's voice inside of her head but it was growing louder now and it didn't help that her mind was conjuring up images of that night when her best friend and her ex-boyfriend stabbed her in the back.

* * *

_Four Years Ago_

_Out of all Tyler's friends that actually accepted Macy's new presence in the clique it was none other than the beautiful blonde-hair girl named Stella Malone who welcomed her with open arms. She was by far the nicest girl Macy ever met. _

_It was a Friday night and Macy hasn't heard from Tyler at all. She planned a perfect little date for them that night. She even cooked him lasagna because that was his favorite food. _

_She kept looking at her phone wondering why he hadn't called her back or texted her._

_When her phone vibrated Macy quickly dashed towards it but instead of it saying Tyler on her caller ID screen, it read Stella._

"_Stella? Hey, what's up?" Macy said in her best cheerful voice._

"_Macy…um…do you know where Tyler is?" she asked her uneasily._

"_No, but I was about to ask you that exact question!"_

"_Hm…okay well this is awkward…"_

"_What's awkward?" Macy asked her innocently._

"_Um…did you guys break up or something?"_

"_NO! Of course not! Why would you say that?"_

"_Then, I think there's something you should know…"_

_What Stella said next could not be possible. Macy didn't understand where she could get such a preposterous idea! She had to see it for herself because there was no way Tyler nor Emily could do that to her. She walked all the way to Raymond Lane's house, who was a fellow jock like Tyler. He apparently took advantage of the fact that his parents were out of town for the weekend and decided to throw a big party. She didn't understand why Tyler didn't even mention it to her…she was still in denial about what Stella told her._

_It was super crowded inside the two story house. The whole student body seemed have been invited. She tried looking for a familiar face and then she saw Stella talking to a group of girls who also hung out with Tyler._

"_Hey Stella," Macy said. "Where's Tyler?"_

_But before she could answer, Melissa another girl from Tyler's clique who wasn't that welcoming towards Macy said to Stella, "What is she doing here?"_

"_She has the right to know, Mel."_

"_I thought Tyler specifically told us not to invite her—_

"_What?" Macy cried out unbelievably. "Why would he say that? And where's Emily?"_

"_Macy, promise you won't get mad at me," Stella said. "I only found out today about his plan but I swear I would've have told you the minute I heard it."_

"_Stella where is he?"_

_She led her upstairs and opened the door to one of the rooms and the scene that was laid out before her broke Macy's heart into pieces._

"_Tyler? Emily?" she said loudly as she witnessed them making out on a bed. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"_

"_MACY!" they both said shocked and quickly got off each other._

"_WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?"_

"_What are you doing here?" Tyler had the nerve to ask her without even justifying why he was making out with her best friend._

"_Why don't you tell her what I heard you telling Ray a couple of minutes ago," Stella said firmly to the guilty jock. "Because if you don't, I will. You're such a jerk Tyler."_

_But Macy didn't listen to them._

"_Emily, how could you do this to me?" Macy said in complete shock and in denial._

_She could tell that her friend was struggling to answer her but managed to say, "Well, I mean I've always liked Tyler…"_

"_No you haven't!" Macy said angrily. "You knew he was mine!"_

"_Yes, but I've always liked him too. But it's always about you Macy. You never listen to what I have to say and besides Tyler said he likes me. He never really liked you…"_

_Macy could feel her body shaking from anger and embarrassment. _

"_What are you saying?"_

"_Tyler tell her, you big scumbag!" Stella yelled forcefully._

_The boy cleared his throat and said, "Well, I didn't mean for it to happen, Macy. You were just so forward that time at the game. You kind of forced yourself on me—_

"_That's complete bullshit Tyler!" Stella said as she defended Macy who was now speechless. "Don't listen to him, Macy. He used you so he could get closer to Emily."_

"_Is that true, Tyler?" Macy said through gritted teeth. Was she a pawn to him?_

_There was a moment of silence before he said, "Yes, it's true…"_

_

* * *

_

The memory itself was enough to bring back the emotion she felt that night. Her first experience in love was far from perfect. It was full of deceit and lies like the situation she was in now with Nick and Penny. But even though she could never be as heartless as Tyler, Macy found that she paralleled him in some ways and that's what scared her. She did hype up Nick to Penny with the sole intention for them getting together. But only recently did she start thinking about herself without realizing how it could affect Penny, who clearly was in love with him…_Emily was right…she only thinks about herself and not others. _And then the whole kiss between her and Nick…clearly it was she who forced herself on him…_Why did she have to kiss him?_ Maybe if she didn't do that, Nick would still be paying attention to Penny the girl he initially liked…and not her…

She knew what she had to do to fix the situation because she couldn't take the fact that she could cause someone distress due to something she did. She couldn't be like Tyler in that way because she cared too much about people. Nick is probably confused with his feelings about her and she needed to let him see that Penny was the girl for him…even if that would break her heart. After all, he chose Penny first…She didn't want Nick to realize later on that Macy tricked him into falling in love with her instead because she really didn't mean to steal Nick away from Penny. She couldn't risk getting hurt again in love. Nick and Penny belonged with each other. They had so many things in common. Nick would be better off with the blonde-haired girl as his girlfriend and not her. She was doing him a favor…she couldn't be selfish anymore…she couldn't be like Tyler Dentler, who saw no problem about using another person for his own means.

It was the next day and Nick was in a confused daze. He didn't tell his brothers everything that happened. He just told them he chickened out from his chance to confess to Macy. When he reached his locker, he noticed a small not was left for him there.

_Wait for me by your locker before lunch period. – Macy_

Nick was excited because the note showed that Macy wanted to see him and maybe she would explain her odd behavior last night. He saw her during class but she was keeping her distance from him. Throughout the morning, Nick kept staring at the clock praying that it would go faster. Thus, when the bell rang after the fourth period, Nick ran down the hallway and waited by his locker for Macy to appear.

"Macy!" Nick called out to her when he spotted the brunette girl making her way towards him.

But the moment she reached him, she told Nick simply, "I promised to stick to our plan…"

"But Macy—

"No, hold on," Macy said as she looked over and sure enough the blonde hair and blue eyed girl was about to pass them. She took a deep breath and got ready to give her best performance for their epic break-up scene.

"NICK! I'M SO SORRY!" Macy said in her best acting voice. "YOU'RE RIGHT. WE'RE NOT RIGHT FOR EACH OTHER. AND I PROMISE I WON'T BOTHER YOU ANYMORE."

"Macy, please don't do this," Nick whispered to her because he really didn't want to stick to the plan anymore. "I don't want—

"AND EVEN THOUGH I THOUGHT WE COULD WORK OUT, I REALIZE THAT I'M JUST HOLDING YOU BACK FROM FINDING YOUR ONE TRUE LOVE," Macy continued. She could feel all eyes on her as everyone in Horace Mantis Academy was staring at her and Nick. "SO PLEASE JUST TREASURE THE MOMENTS WE HAD TOGETHER."

Nick was out of words because he had no idea why Macy was doing this. He was so sure that she felt the same way about him. _What was going on?_

"I'LL TAKE YOUR SILENCE AS A SIGN FOR ME TO LEAVE," Macy said sadly. "GOOD-BYE NICK."

And just like that the brunette girl ran down the hallway all the way into the girl's bathroom where she locked herself in one of the stalls so that she could cry to herself. She knew it would be a matter of minutes before Penny made her move.

Nick still was trying to recover from what just happened. _Why did Macy want to push through with the plan? _He thought it was pretty obvious how he felt about her. He was sitting in the atrium contemplating why Macy was acting so weird lately.

"Mind if I join you?" Penny asked him.

"Sure," Nick said gloomily.

"I guess love hasn't been good to us this past week," Penny sighed sadly.

"Yeah…I guess not," Nick said but then he looked at Penny because he didn't know how her statement applied to her. "Wait. Did something happen between you and—

"So how long do you think they'll wait before they get together?" she interrupted him.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Jamie and Macy!" Penny said frustratingly. "Don't you see, Nick! That's the whole reason why they both broke up with us so they can be together…"

"No, that can't be. Macy doesn't like Jimmy," Nick said at first sternly but then he wasn't sure anymore because he now remembered when Macy considered dating Jimmy that time in the park.

"How naïve can you be?" Penny said but she said in a calmer tone. "But I don't blame you because I also didn't believe Jimmy had feelings for her at first but I could tell by the way his face would light up every time he talked about Macy. When you've been with someone for as long as Jimmy and I have you know what the other person is feeling even if they don't flat out tell you."

"Macy doesn't like Jimmy," Nick repeated more as an assurance to himself because the more he thought about it the more plausible the notion seemed. _Maybe that's why she ran away last night because she was confused about her feelings for him and Jimmy…_

"Nick, she does! She told me to my face that she likes him!" Penny said with a little anger in her voice.

"She told you to your face that she liked Jimmy?" Nick said loudly because he couldn't believe what he was hearing. _Maybe that's why she went through with the whole break up scene because she chose Jimmy instead and left him hanging._

"Yes! That little witch admitted it to my face with no remorse whatsoever," Penny said. "That must have been her whole plan all along with the us going out on a double date! She wanted to get closer to him. And Jimmy bought into it. Those two are the most manipulative people I've ever met."

"She said she likes Jimmy…" Nick said in a barely audible whisper because he could feel his heart breaking.

"Nick, how could she do this to me?" Penny said as she felt the tears coming. "I love Jimmy…He's my everything…I've known him since I was little and our families would joke that we would get married because we cared so much about each other…and even though we may like different things, I still love him because he was my Jimmy…he was mine…and then _she _came along…and took him away…just like that..."

There were so many things running in his mind. He placed his arm around Penny to comfort her as she sobbed into his chest. But as much as he wanted to ease the pain for her, he couldn't believe that Macy two-timed him. Was she really that great of a pretender? But before he jumped to conclusions, he needed to speak to Macy and hear it from her because he still didn't want to believe that Macy chose Jimmy over him.

The moment Nick was comforting Penny, Macy happened to pass by the glass wall atrium. The sight was enough to break her heart. Penny had Nick and Nick had Penny. All was right. Her plan worked but she couldn't ignore the pain she felt in her heart.

_You did a good thing, Macy, _she reminded herself. _They are meant to be together. You and Nick together wouldn't last any way. You don't want to relive through another heart ache._

Macy didn't want to run into Penny or Nick at the end of the day so she laid low by hiding in the bathroom until she was sure they both left school.

She made her way to her locker to get her books.

"Macy!" called a voice.

She turned around and saw a familiar face.

"Hey, Jimmy!"

"So I saw what happened between you and Nick during lunch," Jimmy said with no hint of sympathy at all. In fact, if Macy listened carefully, he sounded happy if anything.

"Yeah, things just didn't work out between us," Macy admitted sadly.

"Oh is that the only reason you broke up with him?" Jimmy said a bit confused.

"Yeah…well there are other things…but it's a little complicated…"

Jimmy took comfort in hearing this because he took other things as something else.

"So how long should we wait?"

"Huh?" Macy said confused.

"I mean for us to start going out…We don't want to do it too soon," Jimmy reasoned out. "It will look bad for both of us on our part."

"Jimmy, what on earth are you talking about?" Macy asked him because he really didn't understand.

"Well, I like you Macy and I thought you like me…" Jimmy admitted honestly. "Isn't that why you were paying so much attention to me during the double date? And you were laughing at all my jokes so I thought…"

"WHAT?" Macy cried out. "No, I'm sorry Jimmy but I don't like you in that way…"

"Oh…" Jimmy said sadly.

Macy couldn't believe this. She managed to fix everything for Penny and Nick but now she made Jimmy upset. _Why must she always end up hurting someone!_

"Look, Jimmy, I'm flattered that you like me and all but I'm sorry if you misunderstood my friendliness for anything else," Macy apologized but Jimmy was still clearly upset and embarrassed by the whole situation. "You're a great guy and any girl would be happy to date you but I'm sorry that I can't return you're feelings."

"Wow…I really thought we had something going on…" Jimmy said sheepishly. "So this is how rejection feels like, huh? But no worries. I'm not going to force you into something you're not ready for. And really, Macy, the next guy you end up with is going to be really lucky to have you."

Macy smiled at Jimmy and said, "Jimmy you are too sweet."

"How about we forget about me making a fool out of myself?" Jimmy asked her hopefully.

"Okay," Macy said while smiling.

"Friends?"

"Of course!" Macy said and she was surprised when he gave her a friendly hug. The hug wasn't necessarily long but the moment they were in each other's embrace both Jimmy and Macy were quite startled when they heard a locker door slam shut really loudly. She looked over and there was Nick. Looking at them with a serious expression on his face.

"Nick?" Macy said apprehensively as he walked towards them but Nick Lucas paid them no attention as he passed them by.

He couldn't look at them because he was so angry that Macy led him on. _He couldn't believe it!_ Macy chose Jimmy over him! Everything makes sense now. The reason why she didn't want to hear him confess was because she already had feelings for Jimmy. She probably toyed with his affection while stringing Jimmy along too. She wanted to keep her options open but when he was ready to settle down and go steady with her, she probably got cold feet. He was a toy to her and that's why she kissed him. Penny was right. Those two are the most manipulative people he had ever met.

He remembered Joe's warning about someone getting hurt because of their plan. As selfish at it may sound, not once did Nick suspect it would be him who would get wounded. But he felt it clearly in his heart— the pain of losing Macy to Jimmy.

He wasn't just upset though, Nick Lucas was angry.

_Let the jealousy war begin…_

_

* * *

_**Closing Remarks:**

Sorry for the long wait guys! I swear I would have uploaded earlier but I had so much stuff going on with school. And yes this is a long chapter (over 8000+ words) but hopefully you guys enjoyed it.

Now I'll give the reviewer shout outs to all of you guys who guessed what was really going on with Penny and Jimmy and what Macy would do next. So here's to Snoupy, secretkp831, Nic, ShowBones, Tsukikotenshi, and Sly-88 who all mentioned that they thought Penny was really talking about Jimmy and that Macy would end up breaking Nick's heart and hers as well.

So what do you think will happen next? How will Nick's jealousy affect Macy? The end is near as everything comes into place. I hope you guys understand why Macy decided to go through with the plan. Even though one reviewer did bring out the fact that Nick and Macy are always open to talk to each other, we must realize that the two of them aren't technically in a "real" relationship in this story. Basically they are still pretending with each other. But when Nick tried to actually make something out of it, Macy is reminded of Penny and her past so it makes sense for her to avoid any sort of drama because she is still wounded by what Tyler did to her and that's why she's hesitant to get into another relationship especially since it would cause pain to another individual (or so she thinks).

Well enough about the technicalities! I'll try to update soon. But please review!

Also, because I made you guys wait so long, I'm going to upload a one shot I wrote last night. It's rated M so only those readers who are mature enough should go check it out. I haven't written an M-rated story in a while. It's pretty dark and unlike anything I have written so far. It's a one-shot entitled _A Brother's Betrayal._

-Penelope36


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 Inhibitions**

Macy couldn't believe Jimmy thought she liked him. _Was she really a flirt?_ Because she honestly did not think her behavior during their double date would give him that impression. And what was up with Nick? He looked liked he could have murdered someone…Macy tried to forget about everything that happened today because it was just jam packed with drama. She wanted to lie under her covers and go to sleep because she could feel her heart breaking because she let go of the boy she loved for the sake of her dignity. But the peace and quiet she wanted to have when she reached home was put to a halt when she noticed Stella sitting on her porch.

"Hey Stella!" Macy said cheerfully. As much as she loved Stella Malone, this was one of the times when she wanted some time to herself. But she was surprised when Stella didn't meet her with the same enthusiasm.

Instead the fashion-designer-in-training, stood up and sternly said, "WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING?"

Macy was taken aback by how loud Stella was being.

"Stella? Why are you so mad?"

"Why would you publicly break up with Nick when you have feelings for him?" Stella asked her.

Macy sighed and fumbled with her keys to open the front door and said with her back facing Stella, "It's just that I needed to stick to the plan…"

"Who gives a crap about your stupid plan!" she exclaimed. "You know Nick had feelings for you and you just tore his heart apart in front of the whole school! What were you thinking!"

"Look Stella, I know it was a bit too much but how else would Penny make her move? She loves Nick. She told me herself"

"So all of that was for Penny?" Stella asked her incredulously.

"Y-yeah…" Macy said sheepishly.

Stella couldn't believe what she was hearing so she turned Macy around so that she was facing her.

"You'll give up your happiness so that Penny could have a chance with Nick?" Stella repeated what she said so she could confirm it one more time.

Macy couldn't look into her eyes and nodded her head.

Stella gave out a loud sigh and said in a calm tone, "Macy, I know you are a very caring and generous girl but I also know that you wouldn't go out of your way to do something like this. You can be self-less but you're _not that self-less_."

"Stella, I did what I did because Penny was afraid that I was taking Nick away from her," Macy said. "She was crying because of what I did…"

Stella looked at Macy straight in the eyes and because she knew Macy more than anyone else, she could tell when Macy wasn't being very honest with her.

"That's a load of crap."

"Stella!"

"Penny isn't the reason you broken up with Nick."

"Of course, it is! What other reason could there be!" Macy cried out. She was getting really nervous. She dropped her keys and when she bent down to pick them up Stella said something that hit her to her very core.

"It's because you're scared, Macy."

Macy couldn't even look at Stella now and she tried again to open the front door and even though her hand was shaking she managed to get it open but Stella followed her inside.

But Macy didn't respond to what she said so she repeated it one more time, "You're scared to get hurt again."

"That's not true…" Macy whispered.

"Oh yeah? Then tell me, Mace, when was the last time you went on a date—a _real date_ and not one of those bogus dates you and Nick went to?"

Macy fell silent as she continued looking at the floor.

"None. Am I right? Tyler was the last guy you let in to your heart and yes, I admit what he did to you was so messed up but you need to learn to move on! It's been four years, Mace. You deserve some happiness," Stella proclaimed. She really did care for her best friend.

Macy narrowed her eyes at Stella and said, "Well, that's easy for you to say. Look at you Stella. You can have any guy that you want but you always made Joe wait for you because you knew he would always be there. And it took you how long to get with him? seven? Eight years?"

"What are you trying to say Mace?"

"I'm saying that I'm not lucky like you Stella," Macy said. "I just can't move on…I don't want to get hurt again…"

Stella could see that the brunette girl was tearing up and so she gave her a big hug and said, "Mace, you need to learn how to trust because not every guy out there is going to be like Tyler. If there is one guy in the world who isn't like him at all that would be Nick Lucas. He's a complete gentleman. He knows how to treat a girl right."

Macy's tears subsided and she looked up at her best friend and said, "But he has Penny now…"

"Mace, I don't think Nick wants Penny anymore. You know this better than I do," Stella said with a comforting smile. "You should go talk to him and tell him how you feel."

"But I'm scared to get into another relationship…"

"Don't be," she said encouragingly. "My Stella senses are telling me that Nick will be more than welcome to hear what you have to say."

"You really think so?" But deep inside, Macy already knew that Nick felt the same way about her. She was just too scared to put herself out there.

"Do you dare question my intuition?"

Macy laughed as she embraced her best friend once more. Tomorrow she would muster up the courage to confess to Nick how she felt about him and explain to him why she pushed through with the plan. _Yes, that's what she planned on doing._

The weather was growing warmer and Horace Mantis Academy was getting ready for their spring fling dance that would be held that upcoming Friday. The walls were decorated with flowers and streamers and everyone was talking about who was going with who and what they were going to wear.

"Don't forget to bring your special someone to this year's dance! Together you both can waltz into spring. Make sure to dress up and come! We want to make this the biggest dance here at Horace Mantis Academy! Doors open at 7! See you all there!" announced the student body president Jackie Foster over the loud speaker.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" Stella squealed. "I already made my dress and Joe's outfit. Hurry and go ask Nick so I can coordinate your outfits too!"

"Stella, don't get too ahead of yourself," Macy retorted. "I still haven't told him how I feel."

"Well, here's your chance," Stella said when she spotted the three Lucas brothers making their entrance into the school.

Nick was still trying to recover from what happened yesterday. He couldn't believe Macy had the capability to walk all over his heart and move on to the next guy in a matter of minutes after their public "break up". So imagine how he felt when he saw Macy beaming at him and his brothers. His brothers were talking about the Yankees game that happened last night.

"Hey good morning you guys!" Macy said happily. She tried to mask her nervousness. Stella was right behind her and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"Don't be nervous. Just tell Nick the truth," she whispered into her ear before she latched arms with Joe because she wanted to get his opinion about the outfits she made for them.

"Hey Mace. Anyway you should have seen him hit that ball in the eighth inning with bases fully loaded," Kevin said continuing his conversation he was having with his brothers. "It was amazing."

Nick was silently nodding his head. He could sense that Macy was staring at him but there was no way he was going to acknowledge her presence.

"Oh are you guys talking about the Yankee game last night?" Macy asked more to Nick rather than Kevin.

"Yeah, it was pretty epic," Kevin said. "They're definitely going to go straight to the World Series. Right, Nick?"

Nick just grunted his reply.

Kevin was busy recapping the game to Nick but Macy could tell he wasn't really listening.

"Nick…um…can I talk to you for a second?" Macy asked him nervously. She was getting a weird vibe from him but she tentatively waited for his reply.

He couldn't believe Macy had the nerve to talk to him! Was she going to explain to him why she chose Jimmy over him? _There was no way he wanted to talk to Macy right now._ The pain in his heart was still so raw. He clenched his fist and took a deep breath and turned to his brother.

"YEAH, KEVIN, THE GAME SOUNDS PRETTY EPIC," Nick said loudly as he ignored Macy. "I wished I could have watched the whole game but, you know, I was busy TALKING TO PENNY ON THE PHONE."

_Nick was talking to Penny last night? _Macy thought to herself. _So her plan did work…_

He made a quick glance at Macy just to see how she reacted when he said this. She looked a bit crestfallen but she needed to have a taste of her own medicine.

All of yesterday, Nick was in a slump so Kevin was startled by Nick's sudden outburst.

"It's okay we Tivoed it for you," Kevin replied.

"GREAT! WELL, I GOT TO GO FIND PENNY NOW," Nick said loudly but he emphasized Penny's name. "SHE WANTS ME TO TEACH HER HOW TO PLAY THE GUITAR. SHE'S SO AWESOME."

Macy couldn't ignore the pain that she felt in her chest. Of course, Nick would like Penny again. _But_ w_as her chance with Nick over already? Did Nick already realize that she wasn't the one for him?_ She wanted to give up and face defeat but Stella was right. She needed to confront her fears and learn to move on. She didn't want to be reminded of Tyler and his selfish ways and now that she thought about it, she was acting pretty selfish. Nick deserves an explanation on why she continued with the plan without his consent. She acted so rashly and she still remembered the shocked look on his face during the whole "break up" scene. Maybe that's why he looked so angry afterwards. He didn't understand why she did all that and he at least deserved an explanation. But throughout the day when she mustered up the courage to approach him again, even after he blew her off in the morning, Nick would behave so coldly towards her. After history class, he ignored her attempt by talking to one of their classmates he hardly spoke to before. During geometry, he sat next to Penny instead of his usually spot next to her. Macy knew Nick was mad at her but she was still persistent and decided to test her luck during lunch.

"So who are you taking out to the dance, Kev?" Joe asked.

"You know that girl Danielle? Well, she asked me out," Kevin admitted with a smug look on his face.

"She asked you out?" Joe asked him incredulously. "The girl has guts!"

"Yeah, that really impressed me," Kevin said. So the two older boys discussed about the upcoming dance. None of them bothered to ask Nick if he was going because he never went to school functions since he had no school spirit whatsoever. However, when Stella and Macy took their usual spot at the table Nick once again surprised his brothers by his sudden gusto.

"Oh, so you're going with Danielle, Kev? That's so great," Nick said loudly. "I'm actually going with Penny to the dance."

"YOU ARE?" both brothers and Stella said simultaneously. Macy shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"You're going with Penny to the dance?" Macy asked him quietly.

"Yeah, I just asked her this morning," Nick boasted loudly. "And she said yes. I'm so lucky to go with her. She is the prettiest girl in school and she's so nice and HONEST. I can't think of any other girl I would rather go with than her."

As much as she could understand that Nick would be mad at her for breaking things off with him, there was no denying that he was acting kind of like a _jerk _right now. _It was really unsettling._

"Nick, this is not like you," Stella pointed out. "You never go to school dances."

"Well, I decided I should show some school spirit once in awhile," Nick said as he leaned back in his chair. He made another quick glance at Macy who seemed to be staring solemnly at her lunch tray. "Besides, Penny and I have so much in common. She's so classy too so I couldn't miss this opportunity to go out with her. She fits my ideal and she has everything I look for in a girl. I don't even know how I could have thought otherwise. I must have been crazy to even consider liking another girl. No one can even compare with her. She's the complete package."

He was glaring at Macy now but she didn't see this because Macy was busy staring at her lap. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. _Why was Nick so rude?_

"NICK!" Stella now said angrily. "How can you say that! Macy is right here and she has some—

"No, it's okay," Macy said quickly as she got up. "I-uh- have to go. I'll see you after school, Stella."

She ran down the hallway and Stella immediately chased after her calling out, "Macy wait up!"

Kevin and Joe stared at Nick in disbelief.

"You were really rude, bro," Joe pointed out. "Especially in front of Macy. How can you be so insensitive?"

"I'm just doing what she did to me," Nick said harshly. "And what she did to me is worse than what I'm doing to her."

"Nick, I really don't think she left you for Jimmy," Kevin said because he remembered what Nick told them he saw yesterday after school.

"You weren't there, Kev," Nick said. "They were hugging and everything."

"Did you see them kiss each other?" Joe asked him.

"Well, no," Nick admitted.

"Then how do you know that Macy and Jimmy are going out?" he further questioned him.

"I saw what I saw, okay?" Nick said curtly. "I just know that Jimmy's the reason Macy dumped me."

"Nick, this is just like you to jump to conclusions," Kevin said. "You should ask her directly instead of assuming things."

"No, I had enough of this," Nick said angrily. "I already tried talking to her before and it failed. I don't see why I have to do it again."

He got up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Joe called after him.

"I'm going to look for people who actually make sense when they speak," Nick said tersely.

Everything was spiraling out of control for Macy. _Why was Nick so obnoxious?_ She couldn't tell him now how she felt because he clearly liked Penny again. When she saw him later on that day with Penny, the moment he saw her he immediately put his arm around the blonde girl's shoulder. This was just too much for her. She told Stella that she needed to be left alone. And Stella Malone respected this but then she didn't show up to school the next day or the day after that.

Stella knew Macy was hiding again. So she paid her a visit after school.

"Thank goodness you're here Stella," Macy's mom said when she came over. "Macy won't get out of her bed and the only thing she wants to eat is Nutella sandwiches. She doesn't even like chocolate!"

"It's okay," Stella said comfortingly. "I'm here. I'll talk to her."

There was a knock at her bedroom door.

"GO AWAY!" Macy yelled as she tightened the covers around her body.

"Macy, it's me."

She knew that voice. She hesitated a bit before she unlocked her door.

"Hey, Stella," Macy said and faked a cough to show her that she was really sick and not just ditching school.

"Macy, I know you're not really sick," Stella said.

"Yeah, I am…_cough cough._"

But her best friend knew better and so she continued, "Macy, you can't stay home forever. You're going to need to go back to school."

"I don't want to see him," Macy said sternly. "You saw how obnoxious he was acting. You'd think he be a little more discreet with his relationship with Penny. But he was practically rubbing it in my face."

"Macy, I know why he's acting like a jerk," Stella admitted. "Joe told me he thinks you dumped him for Jimmy."

"WHAT!"

"Yeah, apparently he saw you guys hugging and being all touchy feely with each other," Stella pointed out.

"When was this!..._Oh…Now I remember…_"

"Oh my gosh, Macy! Don't tell me there's also something going on between you and Jimmy!" Stella said incredulously because since when did Macy have all these guys in her life.

"No of course not! He…um…thought I liked him but I don't…" Macy confessed.

Stella sighed her frustration and shook some sense into Macy and said, "You have to clear things up with Nick, Mace. He thinks you two-timed him."

"But I didn't! This is getting so complicated," Macy said as she went back to her bed to lie down. "I just want to go to sleep and forget about everything."

"MACY ANNE MISA!" Stella cried out. "You can't run away from this. Do you want to lose Nick forever? Because the more you prolong this, the more he's going to really believe that you used him."

Macy covered herself with her blanket and said, "He has Penny now. He doesn't care about me anymore."

"Macy, you know that's not true," Stella said. "He's just jealous that's all. But if you try talking to him, he'll listen."

"But he doesn't seem like he even wants to talk to me," Macy said gloomily. She sat up now and faced Stella.

"He'll come around Macy. If he sees that you're really trying to make an effort, he'll listen to what you have to say."

"Stella…I'm scared…"

She hugged her distraught friend and tried her best to comfort her.

"Well, as much as I want to say you don't have to be scared, the fact is that love is scary. But once you make the leap and it works out, it's like magic and you'll never regret taking that risk."

Macy smiled at Stella and said, "You really are my best friend, Stells."

"We're not friends Macy," Stella said and she noticed the horror in Macy's face so she added. "We're like sisters."

And that night Stella convinced Macy that trying to talk to Nick again would be the best route to address the situation.

It was Friday, the day of the dance, and Macy once again had the courage to confront Nick and explain herself to him but Nick would avoid her with every chance that he could get and every time Macy did get near him, he would immediately start having a conversation with anyone who was standing close to him. Macy was getting really discouraged. It didn't help that Nick was always bringing up Penny in all of the conversations he had with his brothers every time she was within earshot.

The day was ending and Macy had no luck whatsoever in trying to speak with Nick.

"Don't worry, Mace," Stella said as she gave her best friend a pat on the shoulder. "I guess he just needs a little time to let his anger pass. But you should really consider going to the dance. There's so much drama surrounding you. You need to have some fun."

"I don't know…it's going to be awkward since I don't have a date and all…And Nick's probably going to rub the fact that he's going with Penny anyway…"

But as if he walked in on cue, a boy came up to her at that moment and said, "Macy, can I have a word with you."

Macy looked at him and then looked at Stella who was also as clueless as her.

"Oh, hey Randolph, what's up?"

"I know this is last notice and all but I was wondering if you'd like to go to the dance tonight?"

Macy didn't know what to say but she felt Stella give her a nudge which clearly indicated that she should go with him.

"Y-yeah, sure," Macy said politely.

"Great! I'll see tonight!"

"Okay, bye Randolph."

Once he was gone, Stella turned to her and said, "He may not be Nick Lucas, but he's sweet."

The dance was in full swing when Macy arrived. Stella and Joe were already on the dance floor and Macy made her way to greet them. Randolph was busy getting them punch but it was taking him longer than she expected so she went to grab a drink herself.

"Hey, Macy!" said a familiar voice.

"H-hi Jimmy," Macy said hesitantly because she remembered what Stella told her before about Nick thinking she dumped him for Jimmy. So she tried not to stand too close to him but Jimmy was eager to see her so he kept talking to her.

"So who did you come with?" he asked her curiously.

"Randolph. But I can't seem to find him anywhere. He said he was getting us punch."

"I saw him a few minutes ago. I think he went to the bathroom because he spilled something on his shirt."

Macy sighed. _That boy was so awkward._

"Anyway, who are you with?" Macy asked him kindly.

"Abby. She's in my history class. Turns out she's also a sucker for a corny joke but she doesn't appreciate extreme sports like I do."

Macy smiled a bit uncomfortably because Jimmy was giving her that look again that clearly showed that he had a crush on her.

"This is my favorite song," Jimmy told her. "You want to dance?"

"I –um- don't think that's a good idea…"

"Oh come on, Macy! Don't tell me you don't like to dance!" Jimmy said as he grabbed her hand. "Besides, I know how you don't like me in that way and I respect that. Can't friends dance with friends?"

Macy smiled at him and said, "Okay fine. One dance only."

Meanwhile, from across the dance floor Penny was growing impatient because for the past thirty minutes she and Nick just sat at their table. Nick wasn't much of a dancer so they sat down for most of the songs. But the minute he spotted Jimmy and Macy dancing together, the blood in his body boiled with jealousy.

"I can't believe they came here together!" Penny cried out in frustration. "The nerve they have to flaunt their relationship right in the open only days after they broke up with us."

"COME ON PENNY LET'S DANCE," Nick said abruptly as he grabbed her hand.

"Okay!" Penny said.

They made their way so that they were dancing close enough to them and Nick whispered into Penny's ear and said, "Just follow my lead."

Jimmy was the first to notice them and he said, "Hi Penny! Hi Nick!"

Macy turned around immediately when he said his name.

"Nick…" she said and she immediately let go of Jimmy because she didn't want to give him any more fuel to feed his anger towards her.

"Jimmy. Macy," he greeted them sternly. But then he pulled Penny closer to him as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "I'm so glad you guys came."

"The nerve you guys have to show up together," Penny said angrily as she tightened her grip around Nick. "I can't believe you—

"Penny, Jimmy and I aren't together."

"Save it, Macy. I know that's why you dumped me but I don't care anymore because I have Penny now. We both made our choices so its fine," Nick said curtly.

"Really, Nick, Macy is telling the tru—

"I really don't want to hear anything from you, _Jimmy_," Nick said harshly. "I just want to clear the air. I've moved on."

But his jealousy was very apparent on his face and in his voice. He wasn't fooling anyone.

"Nick, please, listen to me," Macy begged him.

"Oh now you want me to listen to you? Like how you wanted to listen to me that night after dinner? You didn't want to even hear what I had to say," Nick said while gritting his teeth. "Besides, I realized I made the better choice now. Penny's so sweet and she's completely open and sincere. She could never lead me on and make me believe in something that isn't true. Right, _honey?_"

He turned to look at Penny but he didn't realize that her jealousy surpassed his because all that was running through her head was that Jimmy really did dump her for Macy so when Nick faced her, Penny needed to make Jimmy jealous as well. And because of that, Penny looked at Nick and took his face into her hands and planted a rather steamy kiss on his lips.

Jimmy's mouth fell open and he muttered her name disbelievingly, "Penny…?"

Clearly, the boy still harbored some feelings for his ex-girlfriend. But Macy couldn't even say anything because she was so shocked that they kissed right in front of her. _That was so low._

"I have to go…" Macy said as she felt tears running down her cheeks and she pushed people out of the way as she ran out of the dance floor.

"Macy!" Stella called after her when she noticed her running away. She looked at the direction she came from and sure enough, there was Nick. She left Joe and marched right up to him and demanded, "Go after her, Nick!"

"Why should I?" he said uneasily. "She deserved it."

Stella narrowed her eyes at him. She never thought that she could get so mad at Nick Lucas because he was always the most polite and sincere guy out of the brothers but he was acting really immature so the moment he said that Stella let her anger get the best of her and she smacked him hard across his cheek.

"STELLA!" Nick said in complete shock as he rubbed his cheek which really hurt from her slap. "Why'd you hit me?"

"Come here!" Stella said as she now dragged him across the dance floor by his tie.

"Ah! Stella can you –er-let go! You're choking me!" Nick said as he struggled to loosen his tie but Stella Malone wasn't listening to him and when she reached the back of the gym she told him flat out what was really going on with Macy.

"You need to talk to her," Stella said. "She has something important to tell you."

"Like what?"

"Nick, she doesn't like Jimmy. She likes you," Stella said. "But she's scared to tell you."

"Why would she be scared? She knew I had feelings for her," Nick answered back.

Stella sighed because she wasn't sure if Macy would be okay if she told him the whole story but drastic times called for drastic measures.

"Did Macy ever tell you how she and I became best friends?"

"Stella, what does this have to do with anything?" Nick asked her irritatingly.

"Well, it involved a boy named Tyler…" Stella started to say before she told Nick about Macy's unfortunate past with love.

Meanwhile, Macy found solitude in the school's tennis court. She had a lot to get off her chest. She couldn't believe Nick and Penny were officially a couple…_but that's what she wanted for them, right? _No, it wasn't…Macy couldn't believe she lost what possibly could have been her only chance at love again because she was too chicken to confront her feelings.

She was practicing her backhand and she wished Coach Martin could see her now because she was sure she was sending the balls across the court at 130 mph. Even in a dress, Macy was quite an athlete. The tennis ball machine kept sending ball after ball towards her and Macy tested her strength with each one of them. One of her shots didn't even bounce but it reached the opposite wall with so much force that it made its way back to her.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive…"

The voice alone made Macy freeze.

"Nick?"

"H-hey," Nick said nervously. He slowly walked over to her and picked up one of the tennis balls off the ground. He needed something to distract himself because he knew this was going to be a long talk. "I'm sorry for acting like such a jerk...but I want to talk to you."

"You do?" Macy said clearly surprised but then she said rather sadly. "What about Penny? You should go to her. She's going to wonder where you are. You don't want to worry your girlfriend."

"That's the thing...Penny and I aren't really together."

"Then why'd she kiss you?"

"She was doing that to make Jimmy jealous," Nick said. He was standing right in front of her now. "I don't want to go to Penny because there's another girl I like now."

Macy felt herself tense up. She didn't know why she was still scared.

"There is?" she said trying to play dumb. She didn't want to jump to any conclusions right away.

"Yeah. And she's really something else," Nick said playing along with her. "She's very loud and talkative. And I swear her mouth has an unstoppable motor because she can tell story after story without getting tired."

"Really? She seems like a handful."

"Oh she is. And she knows it too but she isn't afraid to just be herself," Nick continued. "She has a bad sense of humor and she can be childish at times. But she hates when people make fun of her size. And she loves picking fights with me."

"She sounds like such an interesting character," Macy said obviously amused by his description of her.

"She is quite a character," Nick said as he smiled at her. "And it gets worse. She's a Red Sox fan. Can you believe it? I, Nick Lucas, fell for a Red Sox fan."

"Well, I mean the Red Sox are the best team out there," Macy replied.

As much as he wanted to argue with her, Nick knew this wasn't the time to do so.

"What I'm trying to say is…" he took a deep breath before he said the following words. "I like you, Macy."

Macy looked at the ground when he said this. _Don't run away. Don't be scared._

Nick took one of her hands in his and said, "Macy, that's what I wanted to tell you that night."

He looked at her but she was still afraid to look up at him.

"Macy, please look at me."

She took a deep breath before she looked up at Nick. His eyes showed that they were full of compassion and vulnerability.

"I d-don't know what to s-say…"

Nick grimaced because this wasn't what he wanted to hear. But he remembered what Stella told him.

"Well…um…how do you feel about me?"

He was really putting himself out there and he was dying to hear her confess her feelings for him because even though Stella told him how Macy felt, he wanted to hear her say the words.

"I…like you too," Macy admitted but then added hesitantly. "But you see, I'm-"

"Scared," Nick finished her sentence for her.

"How did you know?" Macy asked him clearly shocked. _Was Nick a mind reader?_

"Stella told me about Tyler."

"She did?"

"Yeah. Now, I understand why the only thing you look for in a guy is honesty. But you know I would never do that to you, Mace. I can never be like that scumbag," Nick said loudly.

"I know. It's just that I was never the girl guys chased after," Macy said. "I was always the friend of the girl or a pawn."

"Well, now you are that girl because Macy, I'm here chasing after you," Nick said.

"But Nick, we have nothing in common. You said so yourself. Remember the survey?"

"MACY! FORGET ABOUT THAT STUPID SURVEY!" Nick cried out. She really was being stubborn. "If you want I'll change all my answers on that survey so that it matches yours. I'll even jump off a cliff if you want me to, just so that you could give me a chance."

"You'd really do that?" Macy asked him clearly touched.

"Yes, because Macy, you're the one I want," Nick said in a desperate tone.

"How about if we don't last?"

Nick bit his lip because he really wanted to say that they would last but even he didn't know that so he honestly replied, "Well, I don't know if we'll last or not but we'll never know if you don't give this a chance."

"You do have a point..." she whispered.

He handed her the tennis ball that he held before and said, "The ball's in your court, Mace."

Macy looked at the bright yellow tennis ball that Nick placed in her hand. This was a big decision because she really did need to give love another try. Nick really wanted her. He said so himself. There was no longer any misunderstanding between them. Everything was out in the open so she looked up at him and said, "I don't want to pretend anymore, Nick."

"Neither do I."

"I want to be with you too," she confessed.

Nick had the biggest smile on his face when she said this.

"That's what I was hoping you would say," he said as he kissed her warmly. "So what do you say we go back to the dance?"

Macy smiled up at him and nodded her head. So the two of them walked hand in hand to the gymnasium where the dance was being held.

"So for our first date, I was thinking we could go to this place where they have these great cliffs."

"Macy, you know I was just joking about the whole cliff-diving thing, right?" Nick said apprehensively because he could see that glint in her eye when she was formulating a plan.

"But you said that if I gave you a chance you'd jump off a cliff!" Macy retorted.

"Yeah, but I mean I was just trying to emphasize how much I want to be with you," Nick said albeit sheepishly. "I really don't want to do that."

"So you basically lied to get with me?" Macy faked her surprise.

"Well…yeah," Nick admitted shyly.

Macy was just teasing him and so she said, "I know you weren't really serious about that. Besides, I think we should go to dinner and have a nice stroll in the park for our first date."

"Really?" Nick said because he was touched that Macy remembered what he considered to be an ideal date.

"Yeah and then for our second date I can take you to a Red Sox game," Macy answered cleverly. "I can show you how real baseball should be played."

"What! Are you kidding me!" Nick retorted but then he said. "But even if I can't stand _that team_, I'll go with you."

"Really?" Macy asked him incredulously.

"Yeah," Nick said while blushing. "I mean if we're going to do something I like then it's only fair that I do stuff that you like too."

_Wow, Nick really is amazing._

She looked at him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"What's that for?" Nick asked her surprised by her sudden kiss.

"That's just a preview of the _practice session_ we're going to have later on tonight," Macy said while she felt her cheeks burning.

Nick laughed.

"I can't wait," he replied and then he just had to ask. "Um...those _practice sessions_ we had before…were they really necessary for our plan?"

Macy gave him a smirk and slyly replied, "What do you think?"

Nick shook his head and said, "No I don't think they were."

She smiled at him and said, "I guess I'm not that good of an actor."

The minute they walked into the dance floor, Macy saw Stella sitting by Joe, Kevin and Danielle. Stella was smiling broadly at them and Joe and Kevin gave them a thumbs up. But to her surprise, Nick didn't want to sit down. He wanted to hold Macy in his arms so they stayed on the dance floor and swayed to the music.

"Did I miss something?" Randolph asked Stella when he finally left the bathroom. He was upset that his white shirt now had a permanent pink stain on it but that didn't upset him as much as seeing his date dancing with Nick Lucas.

"Yup, you missed quite a lot," Stella replied and then she put a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, "Oh, hun, don't take it too hard. You knew you didn't really have a chance with her."

"At least I tried," he answered but then he spotted a girl name Carrie who was standing by herself near the wall. "Besides, I think there's a girl over there who would love to have one dance tonight."

Meanwhile, Nick tightened his embrace around Macy. He was so happy that he had her now. Everything felt right. Nothing can even compare to what he felt for the girl he held close to him.

"Nick?" he heard Macy say.

"What is it?"

"I feel bad for breaking up Penny and Jimmy," she admitted solemnly.

"Don't worry about them."

"I think I should come up with a plan to get them back together."

"MACY! No more planning. Besides, your plans never go the way you want it to," Nick pointed out.

"Okay, so maybe _our plan_ didn't work out but my record shows that this is only one out of countless others that did go according to my plan," Macy argued.

"_Macy_," Nick said sternly. "Don't meddle in someone else's love life."

"But—

"Besides, I think they're working it out themselves," Nick said as he looked over and saw that Penny and Jimmy were slow dancing together. Macy followed his gaze and smiled. She knew it would be only a matter of time before those two would rekindle their romance.

"I'm so glad I have you, Nicky-boo," Macy said as she looked up at him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way…Macy-bear," Nick replied as he placed a kiss on her lips.

And the two of them danced the night away. Well, technically they didn't really stay for the whole dance. Instead, Nick and Macy decided it would be better to spend their time in one of the empty classrooms that was left unlocked. They really _needed_ to catch up with their lack of "practice sessions."

And this is the story of how Nick Lucas and Macy Misa, also known as the Great Pretenders, got together. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

**THE END.**

**

* * *

**

**Closing Remarks:**

So what do you guys think? Do you think Nick and Macy are going to last? LOL I think you all know the answer to that one. So like I said, this story had drama but not as much as my other stories. I know I said I already wrote the epilogue but I want you guys to review this chapter before I post the ending because I love hearing what you guys have to say. Yes, I know Nick was acting like a jerk in the beginning but he had a valid reason to. So basically Nick and Macy's plan was a complete failure but that's the beauty with life. You'll never know when life will surprise you and sometimes, like in this story, the surprises are better than things that are planned. So if I had to draw a love map of this story, the beginning started off with Nick liking Penny who liked Jimmy and Macy didn't like anyone. But in the end the love map changed so that Nick and Jimmy both liked Macy but Macy liked Nick and Penny was still in love with Jimmy. You can tell how everyone's feelings (besides Penny) changed. This was such a teen drama. _Like totally. _Anyway after you guys review I want you to check out my profile page because I made a poll (yes, I didn't even know you can put polls on your page. I thought it was pretty cool). And I want you guys to vote and tell me what story you want me to work on next. If there's a big majority for one story than I will start that first but if everything is evened out then I'm going to go ahead and continue Trust Me.

So READ, REVIEW, AND VOTE! (The poll is located just before my bio.)

The epilogue will either be posted tonight or tomorrow depending on how many reviews I get. (Ten or more reviews then you'll get it tonight!) ;-)

-Penelope36


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue.**

**7 years and 7 months later.**

"Congrats, Macy! Rumor has it you're next in line for the position as lead anchorwoman," exclaimed Bethanny. "With O'Connor out, you're going to be the next fresh face of the network. You'll be huge!"

Macy smiled and tried to be modest.

"Oh, I don't know about that," she answered. "There are so many other people qualified."

"Are you crazy!" her secretary replied. "That documentary you did on the Gulf Coast was a journalist masterpiece. And to think you're only twenty four! You're definitely a shoe-in for the job."

Macy just smiled again and this time said, "I hope so. I'm going to cross my fingers."

"Oh, puh-lease," Bethanny answered. "With your luck, they're probably putting your name plate on the desk already."

Macy shook her head but deep down inside she knew that there was a great chance for her to land this promotion. She drove home from work in high spirits. She needed to be at Stella's place in three hours but she decided to make a quick detour before heading home. The mall was packed that Friday afternoon. She tried to ignore all the people wearing navy blue shirts with the familiar New York logo that Macy despised so much. If she could have it her way, she would show her true allegiance to her favorite team but since she was in the minority she tried to be discreet about it. _She didn't want to be hated in her home town._ But despite all this, she made her way to the clothing department store. She headed for the sports section and tried to look for the particular jersey she wanted to buy. Much to her dismay, the sports section decided to overstock on the New York jersey but she found what she was looking for all the way in the back. There were only two left but thankfully one of them was the right size. She was happy even though the cashier gave her a scornful look when she noticed her purchase.

Macy knew she had to be discreet so she wouldn't be caught. She promised him that she wouldn't buy it but Macy couldn't help it. The house was quiet and she slowly crept up the stairs eager to show him her purchase but when she opened the door to his room, he wasn't there. _Where could he be?_

"Nick!" she called from upstairs.

"Down here in the kitchen!" he called from below so Macy hurriedly went down the stairs and saw a sight that just melted her heart. Then changing her voice to a higher pitch she said, "There's my precious wittle boy! You're so cute! Yes, you are!"

"Ma-ma!" the young boy greeted Macy.

Macy continued to express her complete adoration in her best baby voice as the child Nick carried with one arm shrieked with delight. She gave Nick a quick kiss but concentrated more on the young boy that was now giving her a toothy grin.

"Mace, he wouldn't take his nap," Nick complained as he continued preparing the baby food for their son. "I tried everything but he just wouldn't sleep."

"Was it because you missed your mommy? I bet it was. You're so adorable! Yes, you are!" Macy cooed at her son who was now stretching his arms out indicated that he wanted his mother to hold him. Nick couldn't help but chuckle because he found it very amusing when his wife spoke in her baby voice to their son.

"Mace, he doesn't understand what you're saying," Nick pointed out. He had to tighten his grip on their child because he was squirming a lot from the attention Macy was giving him.

"Sure, he does," Macy said still in her baby voice. "He's a smart boy just like his momma. Right, Evan?"

But Evan just continued to shriek in delight as Macy kept making faces at him. Nick knew Macy wanted to hold him, so as much as he wanted to have more quality bonding time with his son, he turned around ready to give their son to her but Macy paused and frowned before she received him.

"Nick, what is MY SON wearing?" Macy said now in a serious tone when she noticed that Evan was wearing the familiar yet despised New York Yankees jersey.

Nick was expecting this to happen but he tried to play it cool and say, "_MY SON is _only wearing the best shirt ever known to man."

"_Nick,"_ Macy said in a reprimanding manner. "I thought we agreed we wouldn't influence him with our allegiance to opposing teams during the World Series game!"

"Like you're the one to talk!" Nick pointed out. "What's that in your hand?"

Macy quickly hid the jersey she bought at the department store behind her back.

"_Nothing!"_ she said quickly but she knew she was caught.

"Doesn't look like nothing to me," Nick said as he quickly reached over with his other hand and grabbed the shirt from her grasp. "You were so going to do the same thing!"

He stared with disgust at the Boston Red Sox jersey Macy bought for Evan.

"It isn't for Evan," Macy lied and tried to seem offended by his accusation but she unsuccessfully thought up of an excuse. "It's for…uh…me…yeah that's right! I bought this shirt for myself."

Nick looked at her skeptically and said, "Macy, you may be small but I highly doubt you're going to fit into an 18-months-old t-shirt."

Although, now that he thought about it, the idea of Macy in a rather tight shirt, was definitely a major turn on for Mr. Nick Lucas. But he knew Macy didn't buy that shirt to seduce him.

Macy pouted and finally confessed, "Fine. You're right. I bought it for him but that doesn't change the fact that you also went behind my back and bought Evan _that shirt._"

This time it was Nick who scoffed at her accusation, "This thing? I didn't…um…buy it. It's my old shirt. Yeah, that's right. It used to be mine. And Evan didn't have anything else to wear so he needed to wear a shirt so I found this one. You don't want our child to go around naked and catch a cold, do you?"

Macy narrowed her eyes at him and said, "_Old shirt?_ If that's your 'old shirt' than why does it still have the tag on it?"

_Crap. He got busted. _Nick quickly pulled out the tag but it was useless to defend himself because he knew that both of them were equally guilty.

"Okay, fine we're both guilty," Nick confessed. "I'll change him before we head over to Joe's."

Macy agreed and took Evan into her arms as she planted small kisses on his face and cheeks. She continued to cuddle him as Evan played with her hair.

"Besides, it's not going to be much of a game," Macy said matter-of-factly as she continued giving Evan Eskimo kisses. "We know that the Red Sox is the far superior team."

"You got to be kidding me!" Nick argued as he finished heating the baby food for Evan. "Yankees are so going to kick your team's butt. No questions ask!"

"Whatever, Nick," Macy said as she put her son in his high chair. "Red Sox all the way! Boston is going to teach New York a lesson by the end of the night."

"You're delusional, Macy," Nick said as he joined her and put the food in front of Evan.

He grabbed a spoon and began feeding him. Macy wanted to continue their argument about who was the better team but she had to stop as she watched Nick feed Evan. It just touched her heart as she marveled over her family. Evan was almost two but he was small for his age because he was a very picky eater and he won't touch his food if Macy or Nick didn't do the airplane routine where they pretended that the spoon was an incoming vessel ready for landing. Macy smiled as Nick attempted to make airplane noises for Evan to enjoy.

"So how was work?" Nick finally asked her when he finished feeding Evan.

"Oh yeah I forgot to tell you!" Macy said excitedly. "I think I'm up for that promotion as lead anchorwoman for ABC news!"

"That's great, Mace!" Nick said as he went over and gave her a hug. "When will you find out officially?"

"Well, I have a meeting with the executive producer on Monday," Macy continued. "But everyone's saying that I already have the position."

"Mace, that's awesome!" Nick said before he planted a kiss on her lips and he continued washing the bowl he used to feed Evan.

"I know," Macy said as she gave him a side embrace. "It's like a dream come true."

"I'm so proud of you, honey," Nick commented happily as he finished washing the rest of the utensils. "Now, Evan and I can watch you on TV during the 6 o'clock news."

Macy beamed up at him and looked over at Evan who was now busy clapping his hands. It's like he understood that something good happened to his mommy.

It was almost time to head over to Stella's so Macy needed to ask Nick something. It was a tradition they had every time one of their teams played a game.

"So what's the bet this time?" Macy asked him. "For me, if Red Sox wins, I want to have the whole week off from cooking and cleaning and have breakfast served to me in bed."

She always started with something over the top so that she can lessen her demands if Nick deemed it fit. She was expecting him to protest and change her request but she was surprised when all Nick said was "Fine."

"Really?" Macy asked him incredulously. _Was Nick becoming soft after all their years together?_

"Yes I'll do all of that, but if the Yankees kick your butt…then I want us to start trying for a little Macy," Nick confessed as he looked into her eyes because he wanted to see her reaction. _He wasn't joking._

"Are you serious, Nick?" Macy asked him equally as serious as he was. "You want another baby?"

"Yeah, I mean Evan is almost two," Nick pointed out. "I think we can handle one more. Besides don't you want a little Macy, too?"

She really did want one but she wasn't sure if now was the right time.

"I do but, Nick, I'm on the verge of getting that promotion and I'm not sure now is the good time to juggle a job and two kids."

"Well, of course I'll be here to help and another baby can work for your benefit," Nick offered.

"How so?" she asked him curiously.

"I mean you can give the news one night and then add as breaking news, that you're expecting another baby with me," Nick explained shyly. He knew using his fame was a long shot to convince Macy that another kid was a good thing.

They both remembered the media hoopla that arose when Macy, a little known newswoman at that time, revealed that she was expecting her first child with the world-known rock-star Nick Lucas. Her popularity sky-rocketed and she instantly became the #1 most Google-searched person at that time.

"Nick, you want me to announce my pregnancy as breaking news?" Macy repeated because it really was an absurd notion but Nick really wanted another kid.

"Okay I know that's a little bit too much but please, Mace, just consider it for now," Nick pleaded. "Wouldn't it be great if we added a girl into the mix?"

She bit her lip as she thought about it. _A little Macy did sound nice._

"Fine…I'll think about it," Macy said hesitantly.

Their discussion ended when Evan decided to take it upon himself to spill his drink all over his shirt much to Nick's dismay but Macy was secretly pleased because the dreaded jersey was rightfully soiled.

They put Evan into his car seat and drove across town to Joe and Stella's place but along the way Nick and Macy continued their argument about whether or not the Red Sox or Yankees would come out victorious at the end of the night.

"Macy, you know you're like the black sheep in all of New Jersey?" Nick pointed out. "Everyone here hates the Red Sox."

"I can't help it," Macy added. "I was born in Boston so I'm just appreciating my roots. Red Sox all the way! Right, Evan?"

"Reddy Sockies!" Evan squealed. "Reddy Sockies!"

Macy eyes went wide in delight as she turned around to look at her son. She was beyond happy that he was supporting her team but Nick groaned in disappointment.

"No, Evan!" Nick said. "Say Yan-kees! Yan-kees!"

But it was useless because both Macy and Evan were now chanting "Reddy Sockies" throughout the whole ride to Stella's and Joe's home.

"STELLA!" Macy said as she hugged her best friend in the whole world.

"MACY!" her blonde haired friend yelled back excitedly and then added in her best baby voice. "There's my adorable nephew! You're such a handsome boy! Auntie Stella made some new clothes for you! Yes, she did!""

While the girls were talking excitedly with one another, Nick and Joe had a less than enthusiastic greeting.

"Hey, bro," Joe simply greeted Nick.

"Hey," Nick said. "So how far along is Stella now?"

"She's in her second trimester," Joe said as he stared admiringly at her. "She keeps sewing clothes for him. I swear his closet is going to be packed even before he's born."

"It's a boy?" Nick said surprised. This was his first time hearing this.

"Yup," Joe said as he chuckled softly. "Isn't it the Lucas trend to have boys?"

"Yeah," Nick said quietly but he really wanted his next child with Macy to be a girl.

"Hey, Nick, can you take Evan? I need to help Stella in the kitchen," Macy called after him.

"Da-da!" the little boy yelled when he saw Nick.

"Sure. Come here, little guy," Nick said as he took his energetic son into his arms and then he said to his son, "Why don't you say hello to your Uncle Joe?"

Nick took his little hand in his and waved it at Joe. Evan shrieked in delight when he saw Nick's brother.

"Jo-jo!" Evan squealed. "Jo-Jo!"

"Hiya kiddo!" Joe said as he ruffled the young kid's thick mane of curly brown hair. "Nick, I swear to god he looks just like you. He's like a mini Nick Lucas."

"Yeah," Nick said proudly as he looked at his son. He gently kissed his son's forehead. He really loved his little guy. And yes, Evan really did resemble him when he was at that age. It was so uncanny. But Nick really wanted another kid that _resembled more of Macy rather than him._

"Well, come on," Joe said. "Let's turn on the game. Kevin and Danielle are stuck in traffic but they want a play by play update before they get here."

The guys settled themselves in the living room while the girls chatted amongst themselves in the kitchen.

"Mace, I don't know how you did it," Stella sighed as she placed her hands on top of her growing belly. "I feel like I have to pee every five seconds."

Macy laughed and remarked, "One of the pitfalls of being pregnant."

"And my ankles are so swollen!" Stella complained. "They look like tree stumps."

Macy just laughed.

"But its okay," Stella said quietly. "I don't care how fat I get because I know in the end Joe and I are going to be rewarded with a beautiful baby boy just like your little Evan."

"Oh, I didn't know you were having a boy!" Macy exclaimed excitedly.

"Yup, we found out last weekend," Stella replied happily. "Evan is going to have a playmate soon. They can join little league together and do other boy stuff as they grow up."

"Speaking about playmates, you might want to add a little girl in the picture," Macy said casually.

"Macy! No way! Are you pregnant again?" Stella asked her amazingly.

"What! No!" Macy quickly replied. "But I was just talking to Nick before we got here and he mentioned that he wants to try for a _little Macy_."

"Awwww!" Stella said. "A little Macy sounds so cute. You should go for it! That way I can sew baby clothes for a girl!"

"But Stella I don't think now is the right time since I'm on the verge of getting that promotion I've always wanted," Macy pointed out.

"The lead anchorwoman spot?" Stella asked excitedly.

"Yup!"

They both squealed in delight.

"Oh my gosh, Mace!" Stella cried out happily. "I'm so happy for you! CONGRATS!"

They would have continued squealing in delight if it wasn't for the guys calling for them to the living room. Stella and Macy grabbed the chips and sandwiches and both of them sat with their loved ones. Macy took Evan from Nick and let him sit on her lap. Kevin and Danielle came moments later without their kids because as Kevin put it, "They are at that age when they rather hang out with friends than go to family parties."

The game started off in Nick's favor. The Yankees were leading 4-1. But then after half-time the tide turned and much to everyone's dismay except Macy's, the Red Sox persevered and won the World Series with a final score of 9-8.

"I can't believe it!" Nick groaned in disappointment as he looked over at Macy and Evan who were now both clapping their hands and yelling, "Red Sox! Red Sox!"

"Scratch what I said earlier," Joe said to Nick. "Evan may be you on the outside but he's definitely Macy on the inside."

The young boy continued his chant of "Reddy Sockies! Reddy Sockies!"

"Great. I already failed as a dad," Nick lamented as he stared disapprovingly at his son. "I never thought my son would be a supporter of _that team at such a young age."_

After more catching up with everyone, Nick and Macy left around 9 at night. Macy was talking excitedly about the highlights of the game and Nick, because he was too tired to argue with her, listened patiently as she praised her favorite team. He gave up trying to teach Evan how to say Yankees because it seemed like the young boy already solidified his team allegiance.

Nick needed to take a shower so Macy was stuck with the task of putting Evan to bed. But the young boy was always full of energy. She tried rocking him back and forth and even attempted to sing him a lullaby but that made it worse because she wasn't blessed with singing talent like her husband. So when she heard him turn off the shower, Macy didn't waste any time calling for him.

"Nick! A little help over here!" she called.

"Coming," he replied and in a matter of minutes Nick was in the nursery with her. He was already in his pajamas and his hair was still dripping wet. He ran his towel through his hair while he asked her. "What is it, Mace?"

"Can you please sing him a lullaby?" Macy asked as she handed over their son to him. "He won't sleep."

"Sure thing," Nick said as he cradled Evan in his arms and began singing him a lullaby.

Macy smiled at them. She loved moments like this when she can just stand back and watch Nick interact with their son because never in a million years would she have believed that she would marry Nick and have a child with him. If her 16-year-old self could see her now, she would have definitely felt like she won the jack-pot, which was true because Nick and Evan were two of the greatest things that ever happened in her life. Nick's voice quieted down once he noticed the young boy was drifting into slumber. Macy reached over and kissed Nick on the cheek as she ran her fingers gently through Evan's hair.

"I swear, Nick," Macy said quietly as she wrapped her other arm around Nick's waist. "Evan is a spitting image of you."

Nick looked over his shoulder at her and then stared at their sleeping child and said, "Oh I don't know about that. He has some of you in him."

"Really? Like where?" Macy asked him skeptically because Evan was completely, 100% a mini Nick Lucas—his thick curly hair, his intense eyes, his nose, and even his facial expressions.

"Well, he has your chin," Nick pointed out.

"My chin?" Macy said as she looked at that particular spot on the young boy. "That's not really much. Besides I bet once he grows up his chin will suddenly change to resemble yours."

She pouted her lips because there really was no trace of Macy Misa in their adorable son.

"Mace, don't say that," Nick said almost reprimandingly because he could tell that Macy was a bit disappointed that none of her features made it to Evan. If anything, people could say Evan was a clone of Nick. However, Nick wanted to point out that this was another good reason why they should try for another baby so that Macy can have another chance to have a fair share in the gene pool of their next child but he didn't want to press the matter since Macy already expressed some apprehension. He carefully put Evan into his crib so he wouldn't wake up. They both stared admiringly at him and he said quietly to Macy, "There's your answer."

"What?" Macy asked him curiously. "What's my answer?"

Nick sighed and smiled at Macy.

"Remember that day when we got together?" Nick asked her. "And you were scared that we wouldn't last?"

Macy remembered that day clearly. It was the beginning of her life with Nick so she could never forget that fateful night at the dance.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well, there's your answer," Nick repeated as he looked at the sleeping child again. "We lasted Macy and we'll always last. And if Evan isn't proof of that then I don't know what is."

Macy looked at Nick who was still staring at their son. She loved both of them so much that it was impossible for her to look back at her younger self when she was so full of doubts about her relationship with Nick because right now, there was nothing that could ever tear them apart. Nick was right. They lasted and will always last.

"I love you Nick," Macy said as she tilted her head up for a kiss which Nick gladly returned.

"I love you, too, Mace."

Macy was thinking about something and finally said, "Nick?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Let's try for it," Macy said slowly because she knew her words carried a lot of weight.

"Huh?"

"Nick, I want a little Macy, too," she confessed as she looked up at him.

"Yeah?" Nick said as a smile crept on his face.

"Yeah," Macy confirmed as she smiled back at him. Nick kissed her passionately on the lips again.

They both left Evan's room quietly and headed towards their room.

"Nick, I hope you have a lot of energy left in you," Macy teased him. "You're going to need it if you want to make another Red Sox fan."

"Red Sox fan! As if!" Nick replied. "Isn't one enough? Besides, I'm going to make sure her first word is Yankees and we'll go to all the ball games together."

"Nick, you got to be kidding me!" Macy argued. "If she's a little Macy then she's going to be me inside and out."

"We'll see about that," Nick retorted and then he added in a mildly serious manner. "Mace, you better get ready because I'm going to make this one intense _practice session_."

"Oh, Nick, we'll see about that," Macy said seductively as she grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside their room. "_I'm going to tire you out first by the time I'm done with you, Nicky-boo."_

Macy and Nick may be complete opposites who often disagreed with each other but once they entered their room, they were no longer arguing with one another because they both wanted one thing that they could agree on—another child to add to their growing family and that's why when they reached their room, they kissed and kissed some more until they closed the door and took comfort in each other's embrace.

And this concludes the tale of the Great Pretenders because in the end they found something that was real. Nick and Macy no longer had to pretend because the love they had for one another blossomed and there was no point in hiding it any more. And because of the true love they had for each other, they got married and started their own little family. And from their love they were able to make a child, Nicolas Evan Lucas.

And even though their relationship started off as something completely fake, it steadily evolved into something so real and genuine that they both couldn't deny the true love that existed between them. Thus, the relationship between Nick Lucas and Macy Misa lasted and will always last and _nothing can be more real than that_.

**THE END.**

**

* * *

**

**Closing Remarks:**

And there you have it! That's it! It was a pleasure writing this story because I really like the Nick and Macy interaction here. For me, I like when couples can have playful banter back and forth with each other. Seriously, the most fun I had when writing this story was the dialogue between the two of them. I'm so glad many of you enjoyed this story. I'm also happy that you all followed the journey of the Nacy romance here because I know this story took longer to update than most of my other stories. I'm not sure when I will be able to start a new story (which can mean a sequel or continuation) but I'm going to wait it out and see what the results are in the poll . Maybe I'll give it two weeks. In the mean time, I might just go ahead and start concentrating on Trust Me since that was my original plan. But I wanted to put a poll on my page just to see what my readers were interested in. So hopefully you guys will enjoy my future stories as well. Seriously, I hope my creative streak doesn't run out any time soon. I swear, writing for me is such a joy.

Thanks again! REVIEW! and VOTE!

-Penelope36


End file.
